Demonstrate The Holiness of God

On 2021-06-222021-06-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holiness, Holy, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-06-22
WRITTEN AT: Villa Ridge, MO

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 20:10-12
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁰Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” ¹¹Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.
¹²But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

APPLICATION: Things that are logical to mankind will hardly cause an unbeliever to imagine that it originated with God. None the less we often see where movies and plays add special effects when trying to help an audience understand how miraculous God’s awesome power is. It seems like Moses tried to do this when God told he and Aaron to simply speak forth water from a rock. I realize that part of the problem was that Moses was so upset with his people over the disrespect and distrust in God to provide them with water, especially after God had done such an awesome job at doing just that since they left Egypt. They remind me of children who are spoiled rotten. They want it, and they want it NOW. It doesn’t matter that mom and dad may not have the money, they want their request now, or they will yell and scream until they receive it. Like me, it’s enough to make you lose your patience with them as well, right? At a glance, you may read over this biblical account and wonder what made God so angry at Moses and Aaron. I believe that God wanted one more opportunity to show His people that they could trust Him for all their needs, including providing water for them when there appeared to be no water available out in the desert for so many people and animals. Friends, God has declared in His Word that He will provide a way for us, even when there seems to be no way. He said that ALL things are possible, when we place our trust in Him. God made streets out of rivers for the Israelites and He sent them food out of the sky, to name just a few examples of what He did. If you were among that crowd, wouldn’t you be quick to trust Him when He said that He would provide your every need? But wait, isn’t this the same God that we look to for our needs today? Are you able to place your faith and trust in this holy God to provide your answers to all your cares and concerns? I know you can, and furthermore I believe that I too can trust Him in every aspect of my life. I believe it is also incumbent upon us to also lift up our Holy God for who He is. Yes, He answers our prayers, and yes, we must shout that from the mountain tops and let the whole world know that Jesus is alive, and He is more than able to meet their needs also, if only they would learn to trust Him. Our successes, our healing, our restored sight, our miraculous baby, our escape from serious injury in that awful wreck – these were not happen-chance; they were not our lucky day; they were not because of anything we did, other than simply placing our faith and trust in the God who can do all things – the One who promised to answer our prayers and watch over us, if only we would trust Him and allow Him to be God. Tell the world my friend. No need to pretty it up, or supersize it for effects. Simply tell them what God has done, and He will do the rest. It’s all about Him, my friend!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God worked miraculously through two simple men, even though they thought they needed to magnify His work, or help their people believe in the miracle, because of the actions they saw from two great leaders. He’s still God, and there’s nothing we could do to help Him complete His work in us!

PRAYER: Thank You precious Lord for taking such good care of us every day. Thank You also for hearing our cry when we feel like the mountain is too high to cross over, and the valley too low to endure. You made us Lord, so You already know our weaknesses. Please forgive us for not only failing to trust You with our problems, but failing to tell the world after we have seen You perform a miracle in our lives. How will they know You, if we hide Your work from them. Please help us to obediently follow You; be thankful for Your miraculous works; and be ready and willing to tell the world about You, without feeling like we need to add special effects to make You look good. Your grace is enough and Your power is all we need. Thank You Jesus for loving us enough to complete Your work in us. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

May Onlookers Be Convinced of Jesus

On 2021-06-012021-06-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holiness, Holy, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-06-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Isaiah 48:11–13
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹¹ I will rescue you for my sake – yes, for my own sake! I will not let my reputation be tarnished, and I will not share my glory with idols! ¹² “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last. ¹³ It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth, my right hand that spread out the heavens above. When I call out the stars, they all appear in order.”

APPLICATION: I believe that God spoke to me on two items in these verses this morning, and I wanted to share these thoughts with you:
1. The verses preceding those above spoke about God purifying His people with fire. Then He said something very powerful in verse 11: “I will not let my reputation be tarnished”. Friends, we may claim the name of ‘Christian’ or ‘follower’ or we may have a desire, and a commitment to live like Jesus. However, this may sometimes result in no change in our lives. So we claim to the world that we are ‘Christian’ but we go on living like the world. Based on today’s Scripture, I believe that God will then quickly step in to make sure that His reputation is not tarnished. We hear about Christian leaders being caught in adultery or some other sin, and we may sometimes wonder how did they get caught. We see where sin may have caused the divorce of very good friends. Why? We hear about friends who attend church regularly may no longer attend church, but tend to frequent parties that they never bothered with. These are all awful examples of people who we thought had their act together and were faithful to their Lord, why?? Friends, God said that He will not allow His reputation to be tarnished. I believe that this still very much applies today! Christianity is not a ‘pretend’ thing, it’s a lifelong commitment to the very One who sacrificed His life for our salvation. He’s the One who holds our future in His hands, and may I remind you that He will not allow His reputation to be tarnished!
2. In verses 12 and 13 God reminds us of His awesome power and supremacy. Let’s try to keep in mind that this God that we serve; He who created the universe that we enjoy today; He is the ONLY true God – the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. Let’s also note that it is just not the human race that is under the obligation of obeying our Master, but even to the stars that we enjoy looking at – God also made them and they are obedient to His call. When we think of the awesomeness of our God, do we need to go any further than to simply read His Word and savor the awesome descriptions of our Creator? May I remind you that we serve a strong, awesome God!
Friends, do you know this awesome God of whom I have spoken in this devotional? If you do, please enjoy His presence today and rejoice in the awesome God that He truly is. If you don’t know my God, please allow me to introduce Him to you. There is information in my ‘Footnote’ that might help you, but I would welcome your email asking for my help. It would be my honor to introduce you to the One who will make the difference between eternal life with the Creator of this universe vs endless death in the presence of the Evil One – Satan. You may do a fine job of showing the world that you are a married person, but are they just as convinced that you are truly a son or daughter of the most High God? If not, why not? Strive to have such a relationship with the Master, that He will shine through in your actions and in your words to one another.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: At times we may feel so engrossed in this wicked world that they are bound to see our mistakes and our sinful nature. God said that He will rescue us – but for His own name’s sake. Is He being glorified through the way that you Live?

PRAYER: Praise God, I can rejoice in the joy of my salvation, the Creator of this universe and the One who lives forevermore! Lord, please deal in my heart daily so that I may never misrepresent You or tarnish Your name. Please touch the hearts of my readers today so that they may also commit to a pure, dedicated life that is totally sold out to You – a life that will never sacrifice or tarnish the wonderful name of Jesus. May others see Jesus through our actions and through all areas of our character, for I ask this in the precious and holy name of Jesus, AMEN!

Be Different – HOLY

On 2021-05-192021-05-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holy, Holy Living, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-05-19
WRITTEN AT: Nassau, Bahamas

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 20:7-8; 24; 26
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷Dedicate yourselves to me and be holy because I am the Lord your God. ⁸I have chosen you as my people, and I expect you to obey my laws.
²⁴…. I have chosen you to be different from other people.
²⁶I am the Lord, the holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too.

APPLICATION: So what do you suppose would have happened if the Israelites went into the Promised Land without this warning from God? Don’t you think that the inhabitants would have been stirred into anger and seek unending revenge on them? So what happens when we step into our communities and in talking with friends when we tell them about our church life, and about us being a Christian, yet they continue to see us in our workplaces cheating our customers, stealing from the boss, and being very rude and obnoxious with our coworkers? Will they believe what we say, or what we do? Although being unbelievers, they would still discern our differences in character from the God they heard about. I know, you try to act as close to ‘normal’ in the eyes of your friends so that you won’t stand out, right? But what happened at your point of asking Jesus to be your Savior? Hopefully you didn’t tell Jesus that you would still have to follow your old convictions and act like your friends? My dear readers, there are multiple places in the Bible where we are told to ‘come out of the world and follow Jesus’. This means that you not only say with your mouth that you believe in God and accept Jesus as Lord, but that you have a desire to follow His commands and imitate His very character so that your life would now look like your new Master, and not burdened with the sin of this world and the desire to please mankind. Jesus said that because He rescued us from our sin, we are to be like Him – HOLY, just as He is holy. You cannot be like the world, and also like Christ. Those are complete opposites. God chose you to be His son/daughter, so He demands that we strive everyday to be just like Him – holy. If you say that there is no way you could be holy, you will be absolutely correct. It is only through the power of God, and the Holy Spirit that lives within you, that you could ever achieve holiness. For the reader who belongs to Jesus, then this will act as a reminder of what God always expects from you. For the unbeliever who has been touched by the spirit of God to surrender your life to His lordship, I am hoping that this devotional may have given you one more reason to make this important change in your life. My friend, know Jesus today and know the peace that passeth all understanding. It is only through this peace and redirection in your life, that you can ask the Master to give you wisdom and everlasting strength to live in total obedience to Him and to be holy like He expects. If you would like to know my Lord, please: see a local pastor and ask for help; or respond to me using the link in my Footnote; or simply read the Scriptures mentioned in my link ‘To Know Jesus’ included in my Footnote.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Holiness is achievable in this life, if we place our faith and trust in the lord Jesus and allow Him to guide us into holiness – just as He is holy.

PRAYER: From a world’s perspective, being holy is totally unattainable. But I thank You Lord for the gift You left with us – the Holy Spirit. I know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, You know how challenging we have it here in this wicked world around those who want nothing to do with You. Please Lord, enrich us with a deep desire to allow Your Holy Spirit to work through us in every aspect of our lives, so that we may be holy, just as You are holy. In turn, may the world see You very prevalent in us, causing them to desire a close and intimate walk with You. Have Your way in us Lord, so that You may be glorified on earth as You are in Heaven. AMEN!

Be Like Your Father – HOLY

On 2021-05-072021-05-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holy, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-05-07
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Peter 1:14-16
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴Obey God because you are his children; don’t slip back into your old ways—doing evil because you knew no better. ¹⁵But be holy now in everything you do, just as the Lord is holy, who invited you to be his child. ¹⁶He himself has said, “You must be holy, for I am holy.”

APPLICATION: No doubt some of you might be an adoptive parent, just like me. When we saw our perfect gift from God, we undoubtedly felt like we had something to share with that child that far exceeded what they may have encountered so far in this life. Things such as love, respect, caring, giving, were probably at the top of our list, plus we wanted them to see life in a manner that they perhaps never saw before. This wish list would have impacted us as parents also, for we would have committed ourselves to be consistent in these things each and every day. Because we wanted that child to experience our way of life, is evidence that we felt like there was something worthwhile in our family that would benefit that child. We felt like we had something to offer that would improve that child’s character and perspective on life. Now, if you will, turn your perspective to the Christian life. Without Christ, we were much like that adoptive child. Life was hopeless because we felt all alone; out of control, because we were allowed to do whatever we wanted; unhappy, because of the void in our life; and meaningless, because we often failed at most things that we attempted to do. But Jesus knocked on our heart’s door (He got our attention) and showed us that there is One who is perfect in every way and who brings hope to a lost and dying world. You see, this whole Truth became evident to the Israelites back in Leviticus 11:44, for the God who brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, told them that they were to follow His example as He led them to freedom and into a promised land filled with hope and prosperity. In our Scripture from 1 Peter, God continues this same call through the ministry of His servant, Peter. In today’s world, mankind is still grasping for someone who will help them overcome the weaknesses of mortal man. We can read where some have said that they sinned, because the devil made them do it. Wife murderers will say that their spouse provoked them to commit murder. Children will say that because of their upbringing, they learned to hate others and chase after riches. Although you too might have endless excuses why sin abounds in your life, Jesus cries out to us with the comforting words, ‘but I have this all worked out for you, just give me a chance’. And as we do, we submit ourselves to being taught and molded by the only perfect One, the only holy One, the only One who loves us enough to willingly sacrifice His life for us. ‘Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest’. As we succumb to this awesome God who is perfect, and who has overcome the world and its failures, we find that He is holy, and that He desires for us to reach for that same ideal – a life of holiness. There is light and hope at the end of the tunnel dear friend, won’t you accept His invitation today? You will find a link in my Footnote ‘To Know Jesus’. Click on it for a variety of Scripture verses that will introduce you to my Savior and it will help you as you surrender your life to Him. Do it today precious one.

PRAYER: We are to be holy, as You are holy! From our stand, this seems like an impossible task, especially while living in a world filled with sin, temptation, hatred and greed. But God, we know that You would not have demanded this of us, knowing that we could never achieve it. Praise God, You have taught us that ALL things are possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. So Lord, I am humbly asking today that You might empower me to always seek that holiness of which You have taught us about. I pray also that You would miraculously touch every individual who reads this devotional today, for we are all in the same boat, we need a holy God to empower us with holiness; a loving God to empower us with love towards our fellow man; and a righteous God to call us out of a wicked world into the righteousness of Heaven. Oh that Your awesome holiness and power would envelope us today so that we may represent You well and demonstrate to the world that You are well and alive, because You live in us. AMEN!

How To Recognize A Christian

On 2020-10-292020-10-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Christian, Holiness, Holy, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-10-29
WRITTEN AT: Vicksburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Peter 1:14-16
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desires that you followed when you didn’t know better. ¹⁵Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. ¹⁶For Scripture says: “You are to be holy, because I am holy.”^[aa]

OBSERVATION: In spite of carrying the title of Governor of his state, if you were to meet a man for the first time, and he was on his farm tilling the ground and spreading cow manure (fertilizer), I believe that you would be convinced that he was a farmer, and never imagine him to be a state governor. Likewise, if you saw a man coming from a nightclub and he could barely walk without help, plus he had a strange lady all over him, you would probably never guess that he was a Christian. Why not? Let’s study the Word of God together to see what God shared through Peter about how we should live.

APPLICATION: The Word of God is powerful – useful for correction, direction and guidance in everyday life. However, It is obviously black and white, in that It contains what God directed through His chosen authors. At times we will raise our hands in thanksgiving for the joy that it brings to those who are blessed by the God of this universe, but then there are times that we are hit between the eyes with essential truths of what God intended for us to hear. This Scripture today is probably one of the latter, because although we often rejoice in the freedom afforded to us by our loving Lord, this Scripture reminds us that there we are not to be double minded, fork-tongued, or hypocritical, because we serve a God who didn’t just punch our ticket for heaven, but He gave us a Book of Instructions that not only assures us of God’s love for us, but it is our guidebook to life. It is filled with the commands of God; examples of Jesus while here on earth; a large number of promises; an account of miracle after miracle performed, and that teaches us a lesson, along with God’s miraculous touch. Many have surrendered their lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ because of a call on their life by the Holy Spirit. Although misguided by man’s talk and/or expectations, some have supposedly surrendered themselves to Jesus also. So although it is easy to tell from the way of life shown by the non-Christian, it is often challenging to tell in the lives of those who claim Christianity. Jesus taught us in this Scripture today that it could be easy for us to discern who is holy, and who is not. Are they living a life of holiness. To be holy, is to live a life set apart from the world, and imitating the life of Jesus as foretold in the Bible. Set apart, or holy, means that you have separated yourself from your old ways – the ways of the world, and with God’s help, you have set out for a new path – a holy path, or the ways demonstrated by your new-found Savior and Lord. When you find yourself continually going back, then perhaps you should revisit the moment of your conversion and discern if you truly did business with God that day, or whether you simply pleased someone who pressured you into a decision. Friends, Jesus was so serious about saving us that He hung on a cross with full access to all the power necessary to win the battle over evil, yet He chose to complete the Father’s will for the remission of sin. Please consider how serious you are about living a holy life like that of your Savior. Others who need a Savior are watching you to see if He made a difference in your life. Will they find sufficient evidence in you, to help them make this important decision? Be ye holy, even as I am holy. (Vs 16).

PRAYER: Lord, may others see enough difference in my character and my life that might convince them of my Savior. As others read this devotional today, I pray that You will also give them the same challenge that I faced as I read this Scripture today. People we know, need the Lord. Oh that they will see You in every aspect of our life today, so that they, in turn, may seek Your face and invite You into their heart. May we act like children of the King, and not like we used to live. 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!

This Life of Contradictions

On 2020-04-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Discern Truth, Holiness, Holy, Holy Living, Moment of Truth, TruthLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-04-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Romans 7:21-25
Translation: The Message (Message)

Bible Text: ²¹ …The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. ²⁴ I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
²⁵ The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

OBSERVATION: I was happy to be reminded of the struggle that Paul faced, because it is very prevalent in my life. And because I’m pretty sure that you have not attained perfection yet either, I believe that it is probably the same in your life. We struggle daily with having the good intentions of doing what pleases God, yet plagued with the temptations, ill feelings and conniving of this wicked world in which we live. In fact, way too often we tend to walking right out of our prayer closets and immediately follow the trend of what the world is doing around us.

APPLICATION: Like Paul, we especially look back at our day and sometimes say that we are ‘at the end of our rope’ with mere efforts and ‘want-to’s’ and we wonder if there is anything that could be done. I absolutely love verse 25 where Paul reminds us that the answer to this dilemma is Jesus Christ. For He died for us even while we were yet sinners and still persecuting Him. We find it extremely frustrating when we have committed to obedience to God’s Word, when we have every intention to follow the ways of God, yet we are so easily swayed to follow the ways of our old lifestyle, the joys of our friends and neighbors, and to be popular in their eyes. However in our Scripture today we are given the formula, or the solution, or the answer to our lives of contradictions. Like an alcoholic seeking to overcome that dreaded disease, we must first acknowledge that we have a problem. Our education is of no help to us, nor is our strength from personal workouts. In fact, we can’t seem to personally overcome this type of life. However, the Word of God reminds us that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. So do we dare look into God’s face and say that the sin within us is greater? If we do say that, we are actually saying that he that is in the world is greater than He that is in me, and that’s an incorrect statement. Friends, let’s be careful to give God full freedom in our lives so that He could be our God. Satan is very conniving and can easily take advantage of our personal weaknesses, but he has no power over our God! Amen? Today let us put Satan in his place – behind God. Let’s give God thanks for being our deliverer from the evil of this world; let’s praise Him for send His Son Jesus to provide the means of us getting to Heaven and enjoying life everlasting in Him. He cares for us, dear child of God and He wants to see us succeed in our commitment to Him. If you truly want to succeed in your commitment to God, ask for His help and His strength, and through His power, be willing to give it all that your have. For I truly believe that greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I need You today. I battle the same challenges that Paul battled, and I need the same help that he did. You have shown me in Your Word how to live. You have set the example for me through the life and character of Your precious Son. Please work steadfastly in my life so that I may overcome the negative pull of the evil one, the sinful nature of this world and the ungodly attitudes of many that I come into contact with. Please touch the hearts of Your people today, so that we may have power to overcome evil, and that we may live according to Your perfect will and design. You are holy, oh God, and if we are to be followers of Your precious Son, then we too must strive for holiness. Thank You for being the source of that power that we need to live like this! For I ask all this in Your most holy name, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Who Am I Lord?

On 2020-02-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holy, Humble, Humility, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

Friday, 2020-02-07

Bible Reference: 1 Chronicles 17:16-19
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: ¹⁶Then King David went ins and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁷And now, O God, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! You speak as though I were someone very great,^[b] O Lord God! ¹⁸“What more can I say to you about the way you have honored me? You know what your servant is really like. ¹⁹For the sake of your servant, O Lord, and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known.

OBSERVATION: Can you imagine? Can you even think, why a perfect and holy God, the Creator of the universe, would take a moment to look at us, be concerned about us and the things that concern us? Why? Does that not blow your mind why a King would live and die for a sinner such as you or I? David had a very intimate relationship with God, yet he was overwhelmed with all that God chose to do for him and through him. Think about the ways that God has blessed you?

APPLICATION: I wonder how often we stop asking, begging or pleading with God long enough to just soak in the awesome work He has already completed in our lives? Do we ever stop long enough to give God credit for the wondrous ways that He has blessed others through us? David wanted to excel by building a temple for the Ark of the Covenant to be placed in, for he was feeling guilty that he had a palace, yet there was not a single place that could be considered ‘God’s home’. Notice how God put David in his place and ordered him to stand down, as this was not something that he would construct, but one of his descendants would have that pleasure. Now, with that added information, David is going before his Maker, not to show how upset he is over God not accepting his offer to give, but to thank God for all He has done for him, and continuing to do through his children. Friends, I would love to be able to give, and if I could do it through a friend or relative, I would be thrilled. My desire is to see the work of the Lord flourish, so I pray that God will be lifted up and magnified for all that is received for His work. Remember, God blesses us with our jobs and with a good income. What we give back to Him is just a token of all that He blesses us with. Let’s also remember that we receive many gifts that are not necessarily monetary in nature. Considering all those who work diligently for the kingdom, who am I that God should bless me? Like David said in the preceding verses, there is no one like my God. Let’s thank Him and praise Him for who He is, and for the love and honor He has bestowed upon each of us that call Him – LORD!

PRAYER: Thank You Heavenly Father for accepting me, just as I am. Like David, I acknowledge that I barely understand how You could love me knowing exactly how I act, and how I fail in so many ways. You alone are God, and You love me in-spite of my shortcomings and inadequacies. In fact, I could only imagine that it’s because of who You are and because You are alive in me. Thank You Heavenly Father for loving even me, and blessing my readers and I beyond anything we deserve based on our own merit. May You be honored, praised and glorified because of Your Holy Spirit being alive and well in us. Thank You dear Jesus. 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. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. 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!

Lord You Are …..

On 2019-11-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Holiness, Holy, Influence, Relationship, SalvationLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-11-27

Bible Reference: Psalm 18:25-30
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: ²⁵Lord, it is clear to me now that how we live will dictate how you deal with us.^[j]
Good people will taste your goodness, Lord. And to those who are loyal to you, you love to prove that you are loyal and true.
²⁶And for those who are purified, they find you always pure. But you’ll outwit the crooked and cunning with your craftiness.
²⁷To the humble you bring heaven’s deliverance. But the proud and haughty you disregard.

OBSERVATION: In this translation, the writer has taken the liberty of summarizing what David felt about God’s response to our actions, as detailed in the verses that follow. As we meditate on the Word today, I thought it might be sobering for us to ponder, like David, what God must truly feel when we act in various ways in response to life’s circumstances. I’m afraid that we never give this a second thought because we may feel like God ignores our failures and our stupid actions at times. Please consider reading the whole chapter to fully understand where David was coming from with his thoughts in these verses.

APPLICATION: David had just gone through many verses praising God for His goodness and His care and protection. Based on his first-hand experience, David is now trying to help those of us who are struggling to comprehend exactly what we can expect from God, and why our experiences may differ, based on our relationship with God. In fact, let me challenge us with a sobering thought – based on our current relationship with God at the very moment you read these words, what aspect(s) of your life do you suppose God would challenge you on, if you were standing before Him? Note that this will apply to everyone – the Christian and the unbeliever. I believe that Christians may often get the false impression that their ticket to heaven is bought the day they say ‘Yes’ to Jesus, and they are just waiting on the flight. May I suggest to you, Christian Brother/Sister, that you never went to the altar to purchase a ticket, you went to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and accept you into His family. You promised Him to leave the ugliness (sin) of this world behind and show love towards Him in every way possible, especially towards one another. Think about this, some may have stubbed a toe at one time or another. Thankfully it was not necessary for you to go to the hospital, so you returned to the acts that gave you the stubbed toe. This analogy shows how we treat sin, and wind up damaging our relationship with Jesus. Friends, can you possibly expect to receive anything from Jesus when you turn your back on Him? He has given us the freedom of choice, but read this chapter to be reminded of your consequences when you disobey. You don’t like it when your earthly child disobeys you, why do you suppose that it will be any different for the Savior who gave His life for your forgiveness of sin, when He sees you disobeying His commands? To the unbeliever: I am convinced that you are well aware of the Jesus to whom I have devoted this entire blog, because many of you will quickly look for Him, or someone who knows Him personally, and is willing to intercede for you, when something goes wrong in your life, or when things may not be going right for you. With all the love I can muster up today, I must tell you that our God is not a God of convenience, He is looking for a relationship with you. Just as you can’t purchase home insurance if a hurricane is already in route, God is looking for a relationship with you before you approach Him with your grocery list of needs. My Father takes care of His children, even if our earthly fathers may fail in this. Will He recognize you as His child when you call upon Him? I used today’s blog title based on a prayer conference I attended, where we were encouraged to use scripture in our prayer life. May I encourage you to complete the following sentence based on today’s scripture? “Lord, You are my __________ because _________, praise be to God”!

PRAYER: Lord you are loving because You saw my need for a Savior and sent angels to convict me of my sin and lead me to a wonderful, life-long relationship with You, praise be to God! Thank You Jesus for loving even me! Thank You dear Jesus for loving each one who reads this devotional today. I am convinced that You are standing with opened arms right now waiting to respond to our prayer, especially those praying for salvation. Lord You are worthy and we are so needy. We need You every minute of every day, and we long to draw closer to You each and every day. Please patiently lead us towards a more intimate and sincere relationship with You, so that we may have a godly impact on all that we come into contact with. I ask these things in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Live Daily Declaring ‘To Whom You Belong’

On 2019-10-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Evidence of Faith, Example, Example of Christ, Holy, Surrender2 Comments

Wednesday, 2019-10-09

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

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

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

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

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

Looking Forward to THE DAY!

On 2018-11-082018-11-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Devoted, Heaven, Holy, Peace, SalvationLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Peter 3:11-14 (ERV)

TEXT: ¹¹Everything will be destroyed in this way. So what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and devoted to God. ¹²You should be looking forward to the day of God, wanting more than anything else for it to come soon.When it comes, the sky will be destroyed with fire, and everything in the sky will melt with heat. ¹³But God made a promise to us. And we are waiting for what he promised—a new sky and a new earth. That will be the place where goodness lives. ¹⁴Dear friends, we are waiting for this to happen. So try as hard as you can to be without sin and without fault. Try to be at peace with God.

OBSERVATION: God used Peter to remind Christians of his day, and to remind us today, that He will return. He has promised that! While we wait, Peter is warning us of the things that will bombard us, and the people that will discourage us, by doubting and questioning the integrity of God. In the focal verses, we are reminded of what kind of people we should strive to be while we wait. Because this applies to us today, we must be very familiar with what the Word of God instructs us, so let us stop and meditate on this for a while today.

APPLICATION: As kids, we might remember our parents either threatening us, or promising to reward us, depending on how well we behaved, and how obedient we were to baby sitters while our parents are out. Often they would return and ask the sitter how the kids did while they were away. Through Peter, God is instructing us on how we should act while He is readying our eternal home! As we stop and meditate, I wonder how we would rate ourselves on how we’re doing? Here are some things that stood out to me in this Scripture:

My life should be holy and devoted to God. God knows all things, so He can quickly tell me how I’m doing in this arena, but if my family and friends were honest with me, I wonder what they might say? Is it apparent to them? One translation says that I should be consumed with godliness!
I should be looking forward to the day of His return! One translations says that I should daily expect His return! ‘Daily’ tells me that I should never forget that my Lord will return – any day now! Yes, it could be today, and I should have a deep desire for that. To the contrary, remember hearing folk say that they hope the Lord will wait one more day? Perhaps so they could welcome their first grandchild, or meet the guy they met online and chatted with for almost a year, etc, etc. Would you say that you desire and long for the return of our Master?
I should be trying my best to live without sin and without fault. Way too often, I believe that we ‘cave in’ to every little effort of satan to distract us from our walk with Christ, and from our path to holiness. If we ‘caved in’ so easily in our marriages, we would see a drastic increase in the rate of divorce, I believe. So isn’t it frightening to imagine what Christ might say when He sees us face to face?
I should live at peace with God. Friends, we can only do this if our conscience is clear and we know wholeheartedly that we are living holy and righteous lives unto God. How are we doing?

PRAYER: Father God, You have such awesome plans in mind for us, and we know this from the promises You have made in Your Word, yet we still seem so unenthused by the look ahead to THE DAY when You will welcome us home. All we know of here on earth are things like: heartaches, financial burdens, health challenges, hatred and many other things that pull us down every day. But to look through the clouds of doubt and heartaches of daily life here on earth, and to know that our Savior is awaiting our arrival with open, loving arms, does it not give you joy for today and great hope for tomorrow? Friends, if your know my Savior, let’s live like He ordained it in these verses today. If you don’t know Jesus personally, may I encourage you to seek Him out now and accept Him as Lord of your life? Read through my Footnote below and follow the plan of salvation outlined there. Accept Him today friend, while there is still time! 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!

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Holy