Guard Your Heart

On 2023-05-042023-05-04 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Heart, Needs, On guard, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, 2023-05-04
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverbs 4:23
TRANSLATION: New International Version (NIV)

BIBLE TEXT: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

OBSERVATION: At the top of the list for dads to teach their children, should be the importance of guarding their heart above everything else. Solomon spoke intently to his son on this matter, and fortunately he lived the life to support the advice he was giving to his son. Stay with me as we look into the possible reason why God also saw this necessary for us today.

APPLICATION: The most challenging thing in you giving advice, is the importance of you living the life that you are teaching others to do. Solomon was known as the wisest man on earth. Isn’t it interesting how he was also known as the richest man on earth? I wonder if there is any correlation! In our world today, we hear a lot about folk with heart disease, in fact, I have been diagnosed with it, but when we go to bed at night with our home doors locked shut, possibly bars on our windows and doors, and possibly a loaded gun under our pillow or in a bedside drawer; or if we constantly worry about money being stolen from our bank account; or a gunman firing his gun in a crowd where we may be celebrating a joyous time; could it possibly be that many are suffering from a heart that is spiritually diseased? However, I find it interesting that this was really addressed by Jesus in His day on earth where, in Matthew 15:18-20 He said: “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile him. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defiles a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Friends, when we guard our home, we protect everything inside in ways already mentioned, locked doors, etc. When we protect our kids or our spouse, we become bold enough to stand in the way of a speeding bullet, or even fight the biggest, ugliest, meanest, man who threatens their safety. Yet, we sit in front of our televisions for hours on end and allow the filth and sin-laden actions of twisted movie makers to intoxicate our hearts with the ways of the world – in absolute and total opposition to what God commands of us. In fact, many of you will opt for this, instead of meeting with God’s people for worship to our Lord and Savior. What if we start protecting our heart like we do our money, or our belongings? Do you suppose we will find greater peace with God; healing from the great Healer; wisdom from the wise and almighty God; protection from the evil one, by the Holy of Holies? Please consider this challenge before you call on God out of desperation again. You might have a clearer conscience in approaching God, and you might expect more from the God with whom you have made an effort to develop a relationship with.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: It’s from the heart that we love others and God. From this, we develop relationships with the ones who make a positive impact in our lives and gives us hope for every tomorrow!

PRAYER: You have been so good to us Lord! Thank You for the privilege of life itself, and thank You for providing the means by which we could enjoy life in peace, knowing that our eternal home in Heaven is assured and awaiting our arrival. Praise God, this will be the opportunity for us to meet Jesus face to face and spend all eternity worshipping our Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the purity and sincerity that only Heaven can give. While on earth, please use us for Your glory as we try to bless others and love them like they expect from You. Please use every possible opportunity today to humble the hearts of those who have decided to live life here on earth without You, as their negligence will only lead to eternity in Hell with the evil one. May this be the day that many will be touched by Jesus and/or drawn to You without reservation. 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!

Look at The Heart

On 2021-10-242021-10-23 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heart, Heart Knowledge, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2021-10-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 16:6-7; 18
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁶When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” ⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
¹⁸One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.”

APPLICATION: For years I served on various Search Committees looking for church pastors and/or church staff. For years I also interviewed applicants for jobs where the individual would be subject to my supervision. I now hope that things would have been somewhat different if I had long ago studied this chapter of 1 Samuel in more detail! A lot of times we often hear the saying ‘Common sense is just not that common anymore’, perhaps that comes from a person intent on being obedient but without applying their heart to their actions. Notice that as soon as Samuel saw the looks, stature and age of Jesse’s oldest son, he was sure he knew who God’s pick was for the next king of Israel. But God not only knew the heart of the next king based on history, but also based on his commitment to God and his future dependence on God to make good decisions. Friends, I believe it is beyond amazing how God was preparing the path for His new king. In Saul’s depression, he needed the calming music of a harpist. God had been preparing David for this opportunity from a very young age. Also, God had arranged for one of Saul’s advisors to have knowledge of David and He gave the advisor the boldness to share what he knew about the heart of David: 1). Talented – meaning that he devoted his time to learning an instrument that he fell in love with, the harp; 2). A brave warrior – usually this will be a character of a man with great confidence in what he and God could do, in spite of the circumstances around him; 3). A man of war – David had principles towards things that were important and necessary at times, even if that happened to be ‘war’; 4). Good judgment – we know that David was the youngest son, so to be considered for this character trait, he must have listened well and obeyed. No doubt his dad was a key mentor, but this advisor also knew that God was super important in David’s life; and 5). The Lord is with him – just as David was credited with having the Lord on his side, I pray that we too will be so much like Jesus Christ, that the world will give reference to our relationship with God. For He is also on our side!
So let me encourage you dear friends, to live your life for the One you serve. May it be evident whose you are. Also, let’s learn from this experience by Samuel, look at the heart of a person, not at the outward appearance or on their personal achievements. God has blinders on for the latter, and He concentrates on the heart of man instead. So should we!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Forego the outward appearance and concentrate on the heart of man. This is good for every purpose in life, and for every person that we meet or associate with!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, instead of spending so much time and money on improving our outward appearance, please continue to teach us the lesson that is so prevalent in today’s Scripture. Please teach us to constantly work on the heart, based on what You have commanded, and on what You demonstrated to us while You were here on earth. I truly believe that others need to experience how much we care based on our actions and kind words. I pray that it will be very evident to them that it’s all about Jesus, and nothing of our sinful selves. Be glorified today precious Lord, even through Your humble servants who need Your touch in every aspect of life. Please reach into the hearts of the unsaved today also, may this be the day that they will experience You in all of Your fullness. AMEN!

What Does Your Heart Produce?

On 2021-07-052021-07-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Clean Heart, Heart, Heart Knowledge, Humbleness, Humility, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-07-05
WRITTEN AT: Gallup, NM

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 15:17-20
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁷Don’t you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? ¹⁸But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. ¹⁹Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. ²⁰These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

APPLICATION: The Pharisees had overstepped their boundaries, as usual, and tried to test Jesus by reporting something they felt His disciples were overlooking. In this particular instance, they reported that, upon close observation, it appeared like the disciples were neglecting the customs of the Jews in washing their hands before eating a meal. Now we practice this little rule today, and we will get on to our children for not practicing good hygiene. But Jesus took this opportunity to teach the Pharisees, and us, that although this may be a good earthly practice to avoid spreading of germs, this is minuscule in the big picture, as it has nothing at all to do with godliness. So does this mean that the Christian must think only about godliness? Not necessarily, but when you follow through like the Pharisee in reporting a brother or sister for non-godly things, instead of praying that they might become more Christ-like, then there may be questions about your motives. Furthermore, I would hope that when you report someone for breaking man’s law, or God’s, I would hope that your life is in stellar condition. Much like the case of the Pharisees, I remember a time when I was gossiping with a coworker about certain staff members who, I thought, was less than perfect. To my surprise, and through a rude awakening, that coworker looked at me and said: ‘that’s funny, they say the same thing about you’. Shocking, but thank God for an honest and bold coworker, for it opened my eyes that I was too much like the Pharisees. Jesus went on to give examples of what results from a heart that is filled with the world’s trash. Think carefully about the Word of God and see if you could think of any Scripture that supports the following actions: evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. I believe you will find that the Bible/God teaches just the opposite to each of these wicked things. Being children created by God, I’m sure that He didn’t teach these things to us, so where do you suppose we came up with these? Friends, we live in an evil and conniving world that is out to set God’s children out of line with His powerful and godly teachings. It is very important that we fill our minds with the things of Christ. Jesus taught that if we fill ourselves with these two things – love God; and love one another; then we would easily follow all of His other commandments. As we practice these two commandments each day, we will fill our hearts and our minds with the things of God, and the world needs to see and witness more of this today, than perhaps any other time in history. We must guard our hearts, so that we take in the things of God, and not the things of this world that leads to more evil and disharmony. Show them Jesus, won’t you?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Fill your heart, mind and soul with more of Jesus, and prepare to worship Him! the world needs more of Jesus, not more of itself.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I desire that my heart will produce the fruits that You speak of in Your Word. To accomplish this while still in a world filled with sin and imperfections, I will need You by my side every minute of every day. Please fill me with the will to obey Your commands and to replicate the many good things that You modeled while on earth. My friends who will read and/or listen to this devotional may have the same desire, so Lord I pray that You will touch Your children today in miraculous ways so that the world may know that Jesus lives, because they see You alive in us. Please humble hearts who need You today. Draw the lost to You and use us at every opportunity where You know that we won’t mess up. AMEN!

How’s Your Heart Doing?

On 2021-05-202021-05-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heart, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-05-20
WRITTEN AT: Nassau, Bahamas

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 7:20-23
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁰Then Jesus said: What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. ²¹Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, ²²unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. ²³All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God.

APPLICATION: The Pharisees tried hard to keep a thumb on their people that they felt a responsibility for, and as such, they tried to tell them what they thought was right from wrong. Jesus, on the other hand, made it a point of helping mankind think for themselves, using His Word as their guide. This often meant explaining His principles so that the crowd would fully understand what they were reading. This is very similar in what honest, Bible-teaching churches are trying to accomplish today. In today’s Scripture, Jesus wanted His audience, and us, to understand that many rules are made to supposedly help people live according to His commands. For example, some teach that the foods you eat will defile your body, and may even defile your relationship with God through disobedience to the old laws of Moses. While Jesus did not bash the teachers of His day, He went on to explain why a proper understanding of His commands was way more important. While some foods may make certain people sick, and they may choose to refrain from eating that particular item ever again, Jesus is way more concerned about our heart, and He wasn’t referring to heart disease! When Jesus taught about the ‘heart’, He referred to the very soul and being of mankind. This is why Christians say that they invited Jesus into their ‘heart’, meaning into their soul and being. So according to the teachings of Jesus, we are to be more concerned about what things affect our ‘hearts’. Unlike many other questions where the answer is left up to man’s opinion and interpretation, Jesus actually gave us several things that will result from a ‘heart’ exposed to sin and opposition to His teachings. So I would encourage you to meditate with me in considering what sorts of things provoke us into doing the things mentioned in verses 21 and 22, for those are the things that cause us to sin, because they directly impact the ‘heart’ of man. Further, we must clearly understand that when we react to these things in the examples given by Jesus, we are really out of fellowship with Him and would truly hurt His heart to see us in acts of worship with such unconfessed sin impacting our emotions and our reactions to things of this life. Friends, I believe that we can all discern that such conditions of our ‘heart’ cannot be corrected by a mother, spouse, good friend nor our pastor, for we can hide these things from almost every other person on earth. As already stated, these things prevent us from having an open and sincere relationship with our Maker, so our sin is really against the One who gave His very life for us. Pretending to the world that everything is good with you and your relationship with Jesus Christ, is about the worse thing you can do, and bear upon yourself. Throughout the Word of God, we are told that we all will sin while here on earth among sinners. However, the Bible goes on to tell us how to deal with that sin. For Christians, the Holy Spirit – that part of God that lives inside of the Christian, will prompt us to seek forgiveness from the Father. For the unbeliever who does not know God, you are constantly being prompted to personally see God, and draw close to Him by accepting His Son, Jesus. Surely you would never ask a stranger for such a daunting thing as forgiveness of your sin. So let me encourage you to seek the Lord while you still have breath and abilities to do so. Become fit to meet the King of all kings, and then enjoy the benefits of heaven one day. My God will never fail you, my friend! He created you, He loves you unconditionally, and He has a place prepared for you when life here on earth is over. But you must personally accept Him as Lord and Savior. If you can remember the time when you surrendered your life to His lordship, then praise Him for His goodness and reconcile any sin that may hinder your relationship with Him.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Only God can forgive us of our sin and give us the peace that we are destined for our eternal home with Him in glory. He loves us unconditionally!

PRAYER: Thank You dear Lord for Your unconditional love. Please forgive us that wait for others to fix our issues, and draw us close to You, Your Word, and a clear understanding of everything that corrupts our relationship with You. Please Lord, deal in the heart of the one who may read this devotion and have not accepted You as Lord yet. Draw them to Yourself and convict them of their sin. Touch the heart of each believer that may be reminded of Your caution today. Please help us all to keep an open, honest and clear relationship with You. May our ‘hearts’ be clear of earthly hindrances, because of You and because of Your almighty power. AMEN!

Allow God’s Word to Nurture Your Hearts

On 2019-04-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Committed, Easter, Faith, Heart, Rewards, Trust2 Comments

Saturday, 2019-04-20

Bible Reference: Mark 4:8 & 20
Translation: Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: ⁸But some of the seeds fell into good soil and yielded thirty times as much as he had planted—some of it even sixty or a hundred times as much!……..
²⁰“But the good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a plentiful harvest for God—thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as was planted in their hearts.”

OBSERVATION: There are certain things that we hear, that will make no difference in our hearts, for the words simply go in one ear and out of the next. We are taught in this parable today that the extent to which we listen, absorb and use what we hear is a ‘heart’ matter. More on this as we meditate on the parable of the sower.

APPLICATION: I bet you remember as a child, that some things you were told by your parents were intended to hold a lot of significance, and there would normally be strong implications if you ignored or avoided following the instructions given to you. However, there were certain things that they told you not to do that you saw them practice almost every day, so you took those instructions very lightly. But thanks be to God, Jesus told this parable to help us better understand why some hear His Word without very little impact, while a friend who hears the same message, with a heart that is open and willing to let it serve its full God-given purpose, is fully impacted, taught and motivated to use that Word for the glory of God. Friends, I believe that this should speak to our hearts about how we are sometimes so out of tune with God, that we might be in the right venue (church); we might be under the right preaching (minister of the gospel); and we might have no problem with our hearing, yet we walk away without having heard, or at least without being impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Have you ever noticed that when there is purpose in your heart about a project that you want to do, how carefully you read instruction; how carefully you listen to teaching; how earnestly you seek after advice; and how ready you are to listen to the experience of others? So why is this not happening to us in our Christian walk, and our learning of God? Are we not serious about drawing closer to God, and desiring to do the things of God? Are we back in our childhood days, where we easily brush off, or ignore the things taught to us that oppose our fancy – even in the case of those things ordered by God? I believe that this would be a perfect day for us to have God cleanse our hearts and renew a right spirit within us, so that we might become fertile ground for His Word taught and preached tomorrow – Easter Sunday! Oh, may the words that we hear, be sent by God with the specific purpose of growing our relationship with Him, and for the enrichment of our souls that could then be used of God in our everyday lives, with our everyday friends. Father, please look down in love and be glorified by the work of Your Holy Spirit in the minefield of our hearts and souls. Friends, we are not here because God needed a drop-off place to put us until He returns. We are here as His hands, His feet and His mouthpiece, to be used for the salvation of the lost, and to bring glory to His Son, Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Oh that we may be found faithful to the work that You have laid out for us to do, precious Lord. May the sincerity of our hearts, the words from our lips and every action that we take, be avenues of ministry to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and our faithful Redeemer. AMEN!

Your Heart Determines The Course of Your Life

On 2019-04-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Determination, Determined, Faith, Heart, Priority, Rewards, TrustLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-04-02

Bible Reference: Proverbs 4:20-22
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: ^²⁰My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. ²¹Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, ²²for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. ²³Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

OBSERVATION: From deep within our heart, words spew from our mouths, and actions that may either make us proud, or ashamed, when we stand before the Master of this universe. God knew this would happen, so in His Word He warned us to be careful of what we allow into our lives. With so much emphasis on the things of this world bombarding us every day, we must stop and analyze how we are doing in this critical aspect of our lives.

APPLICATION: There are sayings that we hear from time to time that are aligned with this Scripture today: ‘from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks’; ‘garbage in, garbage out’; ‘actions speak louder than words’; etc. Each of these sayings indicate that you could expect no better from a person than what is bottled up inside of their heart. So from where is the heart ‘fed’? Allow me to suggest that hanging around a bar will feed your mind, soul and heart with things that the frequent attenders say; the way they act; and the priorities they display while in your presence. Spending 8+ hours per day around your coworkers, will influence your life with certain attributes of theirs, and you will find yourself with some of their words and/or behavior. Spending many hours around God’s people at church or church events, will do the same as already shared. Studying God’s Word and allowing it to saturate your mind and your heart, will draw you closer to God, and will energize you to follow His instructions and share His goodness that becomes more and more obvious as you learn more about Him. Friends, it is very obvious that we are influenced by those we spend time with, or have a desire to imitate. So I believe the key takeaway in this devotional today, is that we evaluate what our priorities are. That we stop making excuses and strive for the image of God to be displayed through us. Never fool yourself into telling someone the lie that you just didn’t have time for something that really should take a precedence in your day. Try replacing the words ‘I didn’t have time’ with ‘it just wasn’t a priority for me’. Consider time with the Lord – imagine telling God at the end of the day that you are very sorry, but spending time in His Word, and in prayer to Him, just was not a priority. Friends, we choose what we will do. You may have chosen to sleep in, or go to the gym, or have breakfast with the guys during the time that you had set aside for a devotional time with God. However, if it was really a priority in your life, imagine how you would have moved things around to accommodate. So let me encourage you today to prioritize what goes into your heart. Fill it with the goodness of the Lord, and the awesome promise of His return. Can you imagine what will come out of you in words and actions? Can you imagine how God will be glorified? It’s all up to you my friend!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, may our hearts be so filled with You and Your goodness, that our whole outlook on life will change, and others who cross our paths will be infected by Your love being extended through us. Oh that You might be lifted up because of all that You will accomplish through us today, for this is my humble prayer and sincere plea, oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. AMEN!

God Loves the Repentant Heart

On 2019-04-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Heart, SinLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-04-01

Bible Reference: Psalm 51:16-17
Translation: The Voice (Voice)

Bible Text: ¹⁶I would surrender my dearest possessions or destroy all that I prize to prove my regret, but You don’t take pleasure in sacrifices or burnt offerings. ¹⁷What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit because a broken spirit, O God, a heart that honestly regrets the past, You won’t detest.

OBSERVATION: From a very early age, we demand our kids to say “I’m sorry” when they have wronged a sibling or someone else. Also from a very early age we easily detect that those words are sometimes forced out of kids, because they know that parents are not satisfied until they hear their kids, in obedience, say “I’m sorry”. So what do we think happens when we meet God personally? Let’s look deeper into our Scripture today…

APPLICATION: “Lord, I’m sorry for my sin”, might come quite naturally when introduced to Jesus, but how sorry are we, really, when we turn around and do the same thing over and over again. David, the Psalmist, was confronted about his awful sin with Bathsheba, and while he could very easily spurt those famous words out to Nathan the prophet, David had to face his all-knowing God with this sin. Now we should be reminded that God didn’t only know the fact that Nathan just presented to David, but God knows even our thoughts and the intent of our heart. So do you really think that it would have helped for David to sacrifice a sheep or a goat on the altar as his way of saying I’m sorry? For the world, that may have been enough, because from all apparent evidence, David would have acknowledged his sin and paid the price for his forgiveness. But just like you and I, David not only needed this to look good in the eyes of his friends and the local priests, but in true repentance, he wanted a clean heart in the presence of his God. So friends, we not only need to ask for forgiveness from our earthly friends, family and the impacted one(s) for our sin, but in order to right our heart and resume our oneness with God, and to one day present ourselves faultless before our King, we must get before God in humility and deepest sincerity and ask for His forgiveness. Like David, we must always be aware that God desires:

A broken spirit – this means that we must be willing to break down our pride of thinking we know everything, and thinking that what occurred was a private matter between two consenting adults. We must acknowledge that we recognize that our hearts and our lives are transparent before an all-knowing God, so we may as well ‘come clean’ and ask His forgiveness for everything we have done or said or thought that may be contrary to His perfect design and will. There is nothing we can hide from God, so may I encourage you to break down the walls of pride and secrecy and be totally open with God;
A humble heart that honestly regrets the past (our sin) – Our acts may have been fun at the time, or our words may have revenged the individual we were out to get back at, but I believe that when the God of this universe looks into our eyes and our hearts, and He sees unconfessed sin, then we will be pushed aside or rejected from His presence, as sin cannot enter His kingdom.

I was at a conference recently where we were reminded that when we stand before God, we will deal with our personal condition in the face of a righteous, all-knowing God. The normal tendency of our actions here on earth is to try and compare to another individual, or pointing out their sin, while pushing ours under the table. This is not the way God will handle our judgment on that day that we stand before Him, for that will be a one-on-one conversation. It won’t matter what the neighbor did, or the deacon said, it will only matter how in sync our heart is with a righteous and perfect God. If that was to happen today, and it could very easily happen, what would God challenge you with? Consider getting that straight today friend, for we have no assurance of a second chance to do so tomorrow.

PRAYER: Father God, You created us, including our heart, our soul, our mind and our intellect. Why would we ever think that we could hide anything from You is most astonishing to our sober minds as we try to escape Your wrath. Please speak to those who seek after you today. Lord Jesus, may the words from our lips and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our Rock, our Redeemer, our Savior and our Lord. AMEN!

It Originates in the Heart

On 2019-02-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Heart, Heart Knowledge, Rewards, TrustLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-02-18

Bible Reference: Matthew 15:17-20
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: ¹⁷Is it hard to understand that whatever you eat enters the stomach only to pass out into the sewer? ¹⁸But what comes out of your mouth reveals the core of your heart. Words can pollute, not food. ¹⁹You will find living within an impure heart evil ideas, murderous thoughts, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lies, and slander. ²⁰That’s what pollutes a person…..

OBSERVATION: Jesus overheard arguments from certain religious leaders who were criticizing his disciples for not following every little detail about their rules regarding ceremonial hand washing and food choices that conflicted with the restrictions of their religious beliefs. However this criticizing was coming from the hearts of those who were truly burdened by multiple other issues that were a lot more serious. Sounds a lot like some of the issues believers still face today? Let’s look deeper into this.

APPLICATION: A lot of money is generated from diets, and pills and procedures that help people reduce the effects of what they put into their mouths. Many doctors, and some religions are convinced that certain foods are just not good for a human diet, and they try to work diligently with patients, and/or followers, to develop alternate diets. Some religions base this on Scripture, and therefore try to enforce the idea based on the Word of God. I find it interesting that Jesus never told the Pharisees they were untruthful, or inaccurate, but what He did tell them was that they should strive for removing the boards from their own eyes before pointing out the small specks in the lives of others. In fact, I am convinced that this Scripture was God breathed for each of us reading this today also. For just as the Pharisees saw the challenges the disciples had, we might be very apt to look at the Pharisees and denounce their faults. But I believe that what God is truly trying to say to His children today, is that we have a full time job in trying to stay focused on the issues that derive from our wicked hearts, and in seeking to correct our own issues first and foremost. I believe that only then, do we have the audacity to approach someone else and show them up for their apparent weaknesses. Friends, we are not God, and while we may find ways to try and help others to overcome challenges they fight with, we are far from having the authority to act like God and try to straighten out their sin. Jesus points out to us that we have a huge responsibility to ensure that our hearts are filled with His grace, His goodness, His perfect love for mankind, and His forgiveness. For unless we are, then we might easily tend to judge others, or even be prone to many more acts that might be even more serious than those of the Pharisees, the disciples or anyone else we feel may be failing. I love that old spiritual that includes the words: “It’s not my brother or my sister, but it’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer”. Yes, I believe that we personally have so much need in the sight of God, that I’m not sure how or when we will ever find the time for correcting a neighbor who is in need, or may be failing in some walk of life.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole, thank You Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free. Precious Lord, You are merciful and You looked down in love and saved even me, thank You! I am also grateful that You saved many of my friends who will read this devotional today that have also accepted You as Lord. We have such a huge job of minding our intake of worldly issues, bad attitudes and habits, that we’re not sure how we will ever get around to helping a Brother or a Sister, but Lord we need You to help us through every circumstance of life. Please draw us to Yourself daily, so that our hearts will overflow with the love and attitude of Christ. We want others to see enough of Christ in us, that they would have a strong desire to know You in a personal and meaningful way. I am convinced that You will return to take us home with You very soon, oh Lord, may we be found faithful until the end of time. AMEN!

Protect Your Heart

On 2018-02-062018-02-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, Heart, Protection, SurrenderLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverbs 4:23-27 (MSG)

TEXT: ^23-27Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
    that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
    avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
    ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
    and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
    leave evil in the dust.

OBSERVATION: When we guard our heart, I believe that we are looking at our mind; thoughts; will; and our affections. For out of these things we will see the issues of life that lead to the effectual cause of all men’s actions. It is from our heart that others will see our spiritual condition; our happiness; our decisions that make us a good person in someone else’ eyes, or a bad person. On the contrary, others might also see our deceit; our evil actions; or our mean actions as well. Guarding, or protecting our heart, is leading us to filter what aspects of the above is welcomed into our heart to determine the type person that we want to be known as.

APPLICATION: The subject sounds like something my cardiologist might say to me, for without a good functioning heart there would be little chance of my survival here on earth. He would therefore give me exercises, or a certain diet to help me stay heart-healthy. Got created our heart, even the one we are speaking of here today, and I believe it is super important to Him that we keep our heart in sweet communion with Him, so that we may worship and praise Him eternally – as He originally intended. Unfortunately, sin came into this world, and in the effort of humans to always look around the corner for whatever seems most enticing, this divided the hearts and minds of people like you and I. This will often result in a life filled with worldliness, or in many cases a life trying to live for Jesus but being pulled back by the things of this world that we fall in love with. Friends, it is important that we stay away from sin, if we expect to have a noble spiritual life, where the Father has His will and way with us (Isaiah 59:2). For the natural man, I believe that our heart is susceptible to wanting the best things for us to enjoy here on earth. However when the Holy Spirit begins to work in our lives and draws us unto Himself, we have a decision to make – we either say yes to Jesus, which automatically results in us saying no the the world, or vice versa. There is no combo deal in the offer, it’s one or the other. A married couple will leave old boyfriends and girlfriends behind as they commit their lives unconditionally to each other. So it is with God, friends! When a spouse enters into marriage without having severed a relationship with an old ‘flame’, divorce will quickly follow, because there is mixed allegiance by that spouse. Similarly, our God is a jealous God and He will not settle for a ‘mixed allegiance’. Decide this day, my friend, whom you will serve, and then stay true to that commitment until death makes that commitment impossible. As a child of the King, I have heaven on my mind, and I want to live my life here on earth in total obedience to my Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit. My wish for the day, is that you will do the same Brother and/or Sister!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for making a way for us to one day see You in glory. Thank You for allowing us to enjoy Your presence while we wait here on earth, even among the many temptations of Satan. Please continue to protect our hearts dear Lord, so that we may stay true to You. Please touch hearts of those that may have made decisions just for grandma or grandpa, but never understood or totally committed their lives to You. These ones may think that they know You personally, but really have never personally sought Your face. Lord, we stand in awe of You, and we await Your return in deep anticipation! We want to see Jesus, the One who died for all! Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 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!

Your Character Reference From God

On 2018-01-262018-01-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, Determined, Focused on the Goal, goal, Hardened Hearts, Heart, Know God's HeartLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Acts 13:21-23 (NIV)

TEXT: ²¹Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. ²²After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ ²³“From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.

OBSERVATION: Paul was given the opportunity to speak before the church at Pisidian Antioch while worshiping with them. He delivered a message on how gracious God had been in ruling through His servants up to the present time. My attention was particularly taken aback with Paul’s reminder of what God said about David, and how he was a man after God’s own heart. Let’s think this through and apply it…

APPLICATION: In each of our lives, I believe that we have our own opinion about who we are. Our spouse and kids know us real good and have their opinion about who we really are. Our pastor, and church leaders may have a slightly different opinion about us, and so will our boss and co-workers. But what about the God of this universe, who sees and knows all things? What might His opinion be about us? So what about David? We read a lot about him in Scripture. He was a great warrior, and therefore led many victories. He is known for his relationship with God through his songs, prayers and open communication to God. But yet he is also known for his weaknesses, especially with a pretty lady named Bathsheba, who was married to one of Davids best military men. Yet God considered this man to be ‘a man after His own heart’? To help us understand that, allow me to use an illustration: I would like for you to think with me about two men that leave destination ‘A’ driving north. One is determined that his end point will be an amusement park (point ‘B’) 200 miles north of point ‘A’, while the other gentleman is just driving north looking for a fun weekend with his family. After the first 100 miles, they each get off the freeway for lunch and for some physical activity to help prepare themselves to travel longer. The first gentleman finishes lunch, tops off the gas in his car, and gets back on the freeway headed for his final destination. The second gentleman overhears conversation by patrons at the restaurant where he had lunch, and he decides to drive some more on that same exit to find the beach he overheard conversation about. At the end of the day, who do you suppose is nearest to point ‘B’? Just like David, you and I face distractions in life, like these two drivers had when they got off on an exit. However, if we have our minds set on eternity with Jesus Christ and His Father, like the first driver had on his final destination, then we strive to get back on course as quickly as we could, without caving in to the temptations of this world. I can think of no greater honor than to hear my Master refer to me as ‘a man after my own heart’. Staying on course in this life is like saying to God at our conversion, ’till death do us part’; ‘I am determined to serve thee to the end of time’; ‘I have no other goal than to live my life in light of eternity’! How about you friend?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your precious Son and Your Comforter – the Holy Spirit to help keep us on course for our final destination, that You have prepared just for our arrival. I believe that You foreknew the distractions that might take us off course, so You sent the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. As we travel, we are leaving much behind us, but Lord how it hurts to know that family, friends and loved ones are comfortable staying behind and settling for eternal life in damnation with Satan. Please touch the lives of our unsaved loved ones again today Lord, and continue to draw them unto Yourself. There are many who have found no purpose in their trip of life, so every distraction of Satan is just another exploration of fun on earth with a final destination of Hell. Lord, please keep our eyes fixed on You and our hearts fixed on pleasing You in everything we do. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Heart