Live Worthy of God’s Calling

On 2023-03-142023-03-14 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, How to Live, Live in peace, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, 2023-03-14
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: With this in mind, we constantly pray that our God will empower you to live worthy of all that he has invited you to experience. And we pray that by his power all the pleasures of goodness and all works inspired by faith would fill you completely. By doing this the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you will be glorified in him, by the marvelous grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

OBSERVATION: When God calls you to be His child, diligently pursue what it means to be adopted by God. When God calls you to preach, or teach, or pray, or visit the sick, or evangelize your city, be diligent in seeking how you can give God your very best and accomplish all that He has asked you to do. In the preceding verses, Paul had just explained what it will look like for the saved, and the unsaved, when Jesus returns. Although not pretty for the unsaved, Paul wanted the church to know that he was constantly praying for them. What will you do in preparation for Christ’s return?

APPLICATION: Many believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is and for what He can do for them. But there comes a time when each of us must decide who it is that we will follow and allow to be our master. The way this works is that when you become of age and able to understand the dangers of this world and its leader – Satan, and you do nothing about accepting a different, better, more loving, more moral, godlier leader, then you have accepted the fate of the evil one. God created us, and He wants the very best for His dear children, but He is quite the gentleman and therefore allows us to make our own life decisions. However, God made us smart enough to understand the consequences of our decisions. That’s why, in the preceding verses God permitted Paul to show no pity on those who know differently but decide to sin anyway. Today, mankind is no different to the ones Paul referred to in our Scripture today, other than we should not only learn from the words expressed in God’s Book, but also from the millions of saints and sinners who have gone on before us. Paul knew the temptations that saints would face while here on earth among wolves – Satan and his demons, so he vowed to always keep his church in his prayers. If one is saved and they struggle to see the difference in their lives, they may struggle with that, so Paul vowed to pray that God would empower each one to live worthy of all that God has called us to experience. As I meditated on that, I could only imagine that many of us take our decision to follow Christ way too lightly. We accept Jesus, because we felt His tug on the door of our heart; because we know that He loves us more than anyone has, or ever can love us; because we have heard, possibly seen, and actually experienced God’s healing in the life of others in need, and we want to experience the power of such an awesome God. But then what? Do we just continue life as before, knowing that we have an awesome power in reserve somewhere? I hope not, for there are millions out there who need that same Savior in their lives. When God saves us, He gives us a special gift. We don’t hide any other gifts in the sand so we could have it later in life, we put it to good use. The gift of salvation, and the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, were meant to help us live like Jesus. You see, we may have heard of Jesus through going to church over years of church attendance and out of tradition. But many don’t go to church, so how will they hear about Jesus? Paul tells the church in our Scripture today, that he is praying that we would live our lives worthy of the calling to which God has called us. I believe that some have been called to serve in our churches in a fulltime profession. But I don’t believe they were called to do church for us. God wants us to let the world know who Jesus is to us – by the way we live. I believe that Paul discerned the need to pray for us in this respect, because if we feel it is ok to one day join with the guys at the local bar and drink ourselves into a drunken stupor, or cut up with the girls, all while our wife is at home caring for our children, then on the following day try to witness to a coworker about the love of Jesus, what type of witness did we display for them on who Jesus is? You see, others won’t just look at a given moment in life to discern from us who Jesus is, but they will look at our lives during the good times and in the challenging times; under stress and in total calm; on Sunday and on Monday. Will they see enough good evidence to truly know who Jesus is? If so, then I encourage you to join with Paul in praying for our church and its members, because I could guarantee you that not everyone can do as good as you! As a closing thought, please allow me to encourage you to stand firm in your faith and do the work you feel God has called you to do. If it’s cleaning the church, do it as unto the Lord. If it’s teaching Bible School, do it after complete study and making sure that you have applied the teaching to your life before trying to convince others of the need to apply it. Do let others see Jesus in you – your words, actions, lifestyle, consistency and in your obedience to God. Don’t waiver from the truth of God’s Word, just do life like Jesus did, and in obedience to all that He taught us to do, God being your helper.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: May the name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in you, and you be glorified in Him, by the marvelous grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ!

PRAYER: ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on’. I love that old hymn because it reminds me of how dependent I am on You oh Lord. It’s only through Your power and Your strength that I could possibly be an example of You to others. But Lord, there are so many who need You in their lives. Give each reader, listener and Christian an extra portion of grace to be all that You have called them to be. Although many will refuse to pick up their Bibles, or to attend a Bible-teaching church, I pray that they will see enough of Jesus in us to desire a relationship with You. Use us Lord for Your kingdom, and for Your glory. 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!

Waiting on God

On 2022-05-102022-05-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Christ, Follower of Christ, Godly lives, Holy Living, How to Live, Righteous LivingLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2022-05-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Psalm 25:4-5
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

Bible Text:
⁴DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One.
    Teach me to understand so I can follow.
⁵EASE me down the path of Your truth.
    FEED me Your word
    because You are the True God who has saved me.
    I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.

APPLICATION: We could learn a lot from David, for we are so quick to beat up on ourselves, or seek help from every other source, before finally conceding to the One who could lead us to all truth, knowledge and understanding so that we could obediently follow the ways of our Lord and His written Word. There are a few keywords in these two verses that I wanted to expand on, hoping that we might better understand the heart of this humble servant of God. David knew that there was only One who could possibly help him, so he pleaded before his God:

Demonstrate – Lord, please help me to understand by showing me through real-life examples;
Teach – Assume that I know nothing and simply open up my mind to a full understanding of what You would have me to do, oh Lord;
Ease – Understanding my weaknesses and inadequacies, please go easy on me as I am slow to learn, but know that I sincerely desire to know more about Your ways and Your Word;
Feed – Pour knowledge and understanding into me like one would poor water into the beak of a very thirsty bird. Fill me with Your Word so that I may constantly live in obedience to all that You desire of me;
Wait – I am willing to wait for as long as You desire, Lord, for following Your will is just that important to me.

When all else fails, make it known to God that there is nothing more important than to obey His Word, and honor Him in everything that you do and say. Allow Him to work miraculously through you to reach the lost in your circle of influence for His glory. God referred to David as a man after His own heart, so I believe that as we apply this prayer of David’s in all sincerity, and follow the Master in all that He demands of us, we will begin to reflect the true image of God in our lives, so that we may become effect witnesses for Him. May this be your heart’s cry today precious friends, for God loves You more than you could ever comprehend!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we want to be just like You! However we have so much that separates us in that quest. There is so much that we need to surrender to You so that we might be filled with Your Holy Spirit completely and therefore be led in total surrender to Your will and Your way for us. Lord, this wicked world needs to see more of You in those who claim You as Lord. Begin with me Lord. Allow me to be so filled with Your grace and Your mercy that those in my realm of influence might desire to know the One who influences my life every day. Thank You for the lessons taught through Your servant David, May all who read this blog be encouraged to follow in the steps of David – towards being recognized by You as a person after Your own heart. May You be glorified in and through Your precious children today, is my prayer, in deepest humility, 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!

Read It, Live It and Be Blessed

On 2020-11-262020-11-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Blessing, How to Live, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, State of Readiness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-11-26
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 1:3
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ³Blessings come to those who read and proclaim these words aloud; blessings come to those who listen closely and put the prophetic words recorded here into practice. The finale is approaching.

OBSERVATION: In no other book of the Bible are we told to read it and be blessed, so I believe it is important that we concentrate on what might be the purpose of this verse today. The verse concludes with the tip that the finale of life here on earth is quickly approaching. Therefore it is important that we follow the commands right at the very beginning of this key book of prophecy.

APPLICATION: Whenever there is a bad storm approaching, many of us will go to our favorite app or television station or the website of our favorite weather station. We are looking for guidance on what to expect from the approaching storm, because history has shown us that friends either underestimate or over exaggerate in what they tell us, based on their limited knowledge. Now if we follow the warnings and the suggestions of our favorite weather person, we are most often blessed with safety and kept from eminent danger. The Bible is a compilation of biblical history, God’s wondrous works, His commands and His many promises. Because the Bible is God-inspired and God-filled, Christians stick to reading its pages so that they could hear first-hand from the God of this universe. Christians will tend to obediently follow what the Book teaches also, because they have gained confidence that He is the only One who truly knows what is going on, and what will go on until the time we meet Him personally in Heaven. The book of Revelation is one that many pastors tend to avoid, because it is so deep in prophecy. However, we can tell from this verse today that Revelation must be a book that God wants us to truly dig into and read it, because He tells us up front that if we do, and we obediently follow its teaching, we will be blessed. Based on this, don’t you know that God will not send us in this direction unless He plans to reveal to us what He intended for us to learn from this book’s content? Friends, we have never seen God send us in a direction using trickery. He wants us to read this book. He wants us to understand what He is saying to us and teaching us in this book. I believe God is standing at heaven’s portals with open arms waiting for His children to join Him around the throne. So I also believe that there is probably more urgency in this book than any weather person ever portrayed to us in getting us out of harm’s way. In fact, I see God using this book just as airports use its men at the arrival gates in carefully directing million dollar aircraft into a small gate. I believe that while God awaits our arrival He is carefully and lovingly directing our path in these last days here on earth. For much of our lives we have ‘done our own thing’ and wished for the best as we made key decisions about our next move. I believe that God is reminding us that only He knows what tomorrow will bring, so He has already done our homework for us and provided a key book that totally guides us through our few remaining days on earth. He has an awesome finale – homecoming, prepared for us. Let’s not mess up in our earthly journey, especially our final days!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we thank You for who You are, all that You have been to us, and all that You have promised to us after life here on earth. Please Lord, humble our hearts so that we might keep our eyes on Jesus and our mind in the Book. While we seldom question direction from our weather specialists, I pray that we will never question Your direction that You have carefully documented for us to follow, but instead be obedient to the will of our Father. AMEN!

Waiting, Hoping and Trusting in God

On 2020-05-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Christ, Follower of Christ, Godly lives, Holy Living, How to Live, Righteous LivingLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-05-09
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Psalm 25:4-5
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

OBSERVATION: David had such a relationship with God that it seemed natural for him to speak his heart to God. David realized how much he had messed up, but He also knew where perfection came from, so he pleaded his case of need before the only Perfect One. Is that not us today?

APPLICATION: We could learn a lot from David, for we are so quick to beat up on ourselves, or seek help from every other source, before finally conceding to the One who could lead us to all truth, knowledge and understanding so that we could obediently follow the ways of our Lord and His written Word. There are a few keywords in these two verses that I wanted to expand on, that I believe will help us get to the bottom of David’s plea before his God:

Demonstrate – Lord, please help me to understand by showing me through real-life examples;

Teach – Assume that I know nothing and simply open up my mind to a full understanding of what You would have me to do, oh Lord;

Ease – Please go easy on me as I am slow to learn, but sincerely desire to know more about Your ways and Your Word;

Feed – Pour knowledge and understanding into me like we might poor water into the beak of a very thirsty bird. Fill me with Your Word so that I may constantly live in obedience to all that You desire of me;

Wait – I am willing to wait all day long to hear from You Lord, for following Your will is just that important to me.

When all is said and done, make it known to God that there is nothing more important in your life than to obey His Word. Honor Him in everything that you do and say, and allow Him to work miraculously through you to reach the lost in your circle of influence for His glory. God referred to David as a man after His own heart, so I believe that as we follow this prayer of David’s in all sincerity, we would also show our desire to have a heart more like that of Christ. May it be so even today dear friends!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we want to be just like You! However we have so much that separates us in that quest. There is so much that we need to surrender to You so that we might be filled with Your Holy Spirit completely and therefore be led in total surrender to Your will and Your way for us. Lord, this wicked world needs to see more of You in those who claim You as Lord. Begin with me Lord. Allow me to be so filled with Your grace and Your mercy that those in my realm of influence might desire to know the One who influences my life every day. Thank You for the lesson taught through Your servant David, may all who read this blog be encouraged to follow in the steps of David – towards being recognized by You as a person after Your own heart. May You be glorified in and through Your precious children today, is my prayer in deepest humility, AMEN!

The Glistening Purity of Jesus Christ

On 2019-03-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Commitment, How to Live, Pure, PurityLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-03-11

Bible Reference: 1 John 3:1–3
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.

OBSERVATION: When last have you recognized a child of God? Do you suppose that the world sees a difference in you, versus the rest of the world? Do you feel like the love and character of Christ glows through you in every word or action that comes from you? I find it reassuring that in these verses we are told that when we see Christ, we will become like Him – the glistening purity of the Holy One! I believe that also reaffirms that the things of this world, and the evil one, will no longer have a hold on us! What a day that will be!!

APPLICATION: I see such a sweet assurance in the beginning verse of how much my heavenly Father loves me, and how He calls us His children. My eyes were also opened to the reminder that the world may very well dislike us, because they do not have an appreciation for the things, or character of God. But then I realize that if we do not conform to the ways of the world, then they would hate us anyway, per Romans 12:2. In fact that verse tells us that God will change us from the inside out, so of course we will be different to anything we, or they have ever witnessed before. But friends, the captioned verses today reminds us that our God will come one day to take us home to be with Him. Now that’s a day that we all look forward to, amen? But what about the here and now, what are we to be doing – how then shall we be living? Thankfully John covers this in verse 3, for he advised that we should aim to live like Jesus. I found it interesting that the Message chose to use such an awesome description of the life we are to live: ‘Glistening purity of Jesus’. That makes me think that we are to live squeaky clean lives, just as Christ was perfectly clean/pure. Friends, I believe that the bottom line is that we live the changed life that we have committed ourselves to. If we don’t, imagine how confusing it must be for nonbelievers to hear us preaching the goodness of the Lord from our mouths, yet living like the Devil in our actions and all of our practices. Jesus was pure in every way, and that’s what we are called to do, and be, as children of God. Are you willing to commit to living the pure life exampled by Jesus Christ? We can do that with the sole help of the only pure and holy One – Jesus, the Christ! Let us therefore place our faith and trust in Him to live our lives pleasing to Him.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You lived a perfect life amidst lots of evil. We also are called to live the kind of pure life that You lived, even when our world seems more corrupt and sinful today than anytime in history. For those of us willing to live the example You have set before us, may You endow us with power, wisdom, determination and total surrender, so that the enemy might see Jesus in all that we do and say. We need You precious Savior. Please work miraculously through us so that Your work might be done, for Your glory only. AMEN!

Struggling Churches Need This

On 2018-03-162018-03-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Godly lives, How to Live, Leadership, Leadership qualifications, Lives ImpactedLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 35:17-18 (TLB)

TEXT: ¹⁷Everyone present in Jerusalem took part in the Passover observance, and this was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the next seven days. ¹⁸Never since the time of Samuel the prophet had there been such a Passover—not one of the kings of Israel could vie with King Josiah in this respect, involving so many of the priests, Levites, and people from Jerusalem and from all parts of Judah, and from Israel.

OBSERVATION: It is interesting to note in these 2 verses how, under good leadership, the Israelites came to their senses, listened to their king, and followed him in worshiping the God of the universe for seven days as they celebrated the Passover. Something was different, but it worked. It encouraged them enough to participate willingly and honestly. Let’s look closer into how this happened, because we could definitely use more of this attitude and corporation today!

APPLICATION: There are so many churches that are either struggling to survive, or have already given up and closed their doors. However, there are flourishing churches that continue to grow almost weekly. Throughout the chapters leading up this one, we read where there were lots of issues and corrections by God, because the ruling kings did things that were not pleasing to God. However, at the very beginning of chapter 35 we are told that Josiah was a different kind of king, because he did what was pleasing to God. Friends, the same is true in business, we see where people will follow a good leader who is trying to grow themselves in their field of expertise, and develop good workers who will do the same. This benefits the company, who in turn, can develop more leaders and even better employees. But how does this benefit Christendom? How do we encourage the growth of the kingdom? I believe that it starts at the top. If our leaders are ‘on fire for the Lord’, then there is a chance in rekindling a fire in the pews. If our leaders are deep into the Word, and they make it a principal upon which they base their daily character and decision making, then what do you suppose the people who are following them will do? So my challenge today is for everyone who takes a leadership role in their company, or in their church. Will your followers be led astray based on whether you are growing; or by what you are saying; or by what you are doing? Without having to preach a sermon, do they have a clue where you stand with Christ? Will Jesus find you faithful, if He returns today to take His children home to glory? When God interviews those who worked for you or with you, do you suppose they saw enough of Jesus in you that it led them to seek Him personally? Jesus died, so that we may live eternally. The Bible is filled with examples of how Jesus lived a perfect life on earth. He is our mentor and our example. Please don’t allow any leader to lead you along a path contrary to God’s teachings. Remember, others are following you, and they want to see Jesus!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Jesus – the perfect Son of God. Thank You for showing us the way to live in a way that’s pleasing to You and that might also lead an unbeliever to the cross – to salvation. Please continue to guide us and direct our path each and every day. Please make us keenly aware of our character, especially when we are about to mess up. We want to be just like You Lord, so that others might follow the ways of Christ when they follow us. In love, humbleness, and much gratification we ask these things dear Lord, AMEN!

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

How To Live Freely and Unconcerned

On 2018-03-062018-03-06 By Ed AlgreenIn How to Live, Live in peaceLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

TEXT: ^28-30“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

OBSERVATION: Our God is so caring about us, that He recognizes when we are getting at the end of our rope on life’s issues. Extraordinary issues normally require extraordinary attention and care, and normally by someone or something outside of your daily routine, since that’s what caused you to become despondent in the first place. Our God is an awesome God, and no one cares for us like He does, so let’s look to Him for answers on this dilemma.

APPLICATION: I’m sure that many of us can identify with being tired, for we all seem to be over-committed and overworked. And what do we tend to do about that, see a doctor or a therapist? But don’t they most often recommend that we exercise more, and try to distract our brains from the same old routine – which may stress some folk out even more? The other matter addressed in verse 28 speaks to being burned out on religion. For those heavily involved in church work, I bet you can identify with this one, for it seems like we are often involved in one ministry and often multiple ministries. Outside of that we often are committed to more than one committee with several projects or concerns at one time, correct? Well you see what today’s Scripture reads, but let me share an example for you to consider: A friend, who was a pastor at one time, started a new ministry as a result of something he felt led to try with his church leaders. He planned a weekend retreat, and here’s what he did: He and his group arrived at the retreat location with an empty sheet for the agenda. He shared with the group, that they will seek God’s face through His all-powerful Word (the Bible), and they would pray as they are led to do so by God, or they would sing praises to God as also led by Him. From an empty agenda, they were soon inundated with Scripture, prayer and singing out on a mountain top with no cell phones or other matters to worry about, but merely one-on-one time with God. Friends, when God says to us that we should learn to get alone with Him and share our burdens and concerns with Him – perhaps about why we feel so tired, or worn out, or so overwhelmed in ministry. Perhaps then we might see His wonderful face and be reminded through His love and care, why our mission is so important and understand more clearly that when we allow God to be a vital part of our lives and ministry, how rewarding it is. Oh that we might see people in our church, our community, our family and our friends reaching out to the Creator of this universe! I believe that not only will God be glorified, but this will bring peace, contentment, and rejoicing to us, instead of added stress with its associated burdens. It’s all about God friends. Let Him be God. Allow Him to use us in the process of winning people to the Lord and rejoicing in Him as we see Him glorified by all the people! Let’s strive for peaceful times with God, away from the hustle and bustle of this world, so that we might enjoy times of freedom and contentment in Him. Oh that we might be encouraged and prompted along in the ministry in which He has placed us to serve.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for being so available to us. Thank You for caring enough for Your children that You encouraged us to find peace in You for You alone are our Shepherd, our Lord, our Majesty, our King and our Deliverer. As we seek to draw close to You, we will live in freedom and without the burdens of this world. Thank You Lord for helping us to find that peace, especially in the stresses of life that bombard us each day. Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, AMEN!

Tips For Living Right

On 2017-04-062017-04-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Christ, Follower of Christ, Godly lives, Holy Living, How to Live, Righteous LivingLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-04-06
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 25:4-5 (Voice)
Text:	⁴DEMONSTRATE Your ways, O Eternal One. Teach me to understand so I can follow. ⁵EASE me down the path of Your truth. FEED me Your word because You are the True God who has saved me. I wait all day long, hoping, trusting in You.
OBSERVATION:
David had such a relationship with God that it seemed natural for him to speak his heart to God. David realized how much he had messed up, but He also knew where perfection came from, so he pleaded his case of need before the only Perfect One.
APPLICATION:
We could learn a lot from David, for we are so quick to beat up on ourselves, or seek help from every other source, before finally conceding to the One who could lead us to all truth, knowledge and understanding so that we could obediently follow the ways of our Lord and His written Word. There are a few keywords in these two verses that I wanted to expand on, that I believe will help us get to the bottom of David’s plea before his God: Demonstrate – Lord, please help me to understand by showing me through real-life examples; Teach – Assume that I know nothing and simply open up my mind to a full understanding of what You would have me to do, oh Lord; Ease – Please go easy on me as I am slow to learn, but sincerely desire to know more about Your ways and Your Word; Feed – Pour knowledge and understanding into me like we might poor water into the beak of a very thirsty bird. Fill me with Your Word so that I may constantly live in obedience to all that You desire of me; Wait – I am willing to wait all day long to hear from You Lord, for following Your will is just that important to me. When all is said and done, make it known to God that there is nothing more important in your life than to obey His Word. Honor Him in everything that you do and say, and allow Him to work miraculously through you to reach the lost in your circle of influence for His glory. God referred to David as a man after His own heart, so I believe that as we follow this prayer of David’s in all sincerity, we would also show our desire to have a heart more like that of Christ. May it be so even today dear friends!
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, we want to be just like You! However we have so much that separates us in that quest. There is so much that we need to surrender to You so that we might be filled with Your Holy Spirit completely and therefore be led in total surrender to Your will and Your way for us. Lord, this wicked world needs to see more of You in those who claim You as Lord. Begin with me Lord. Allow me to be so filled with Your grace and Your mercy that those in my realm of influence might desire to know the One who influences my life every day. Thank You for the lesson taught through Your servant David, may all who read this blog be encourage to follow in the steps of David – towards being recognized by You as a person after Your own heart. May You be glorified in and through Your precious children today, is my prayer in deepest humility, 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 Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

How To Live in The Hope of Tomorrow

On 2017-02-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Hope, How to Live, Humility, Obedience, Righteousness, SurrenderLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-02-13
SCRIPTURE
From:	Romans 15:4 (Voice)
Text:	4 … everything written in the days of old was recorded to give us instructions for living. We find encouragement through the Scriptures and a call to perseverance that will produce hopeful living.
OBSERVATION:
God used Paul to not only share with the Romans, but also with us, the importance of looking to the Word of God for instruction on how to live godly and upright in a wicked and sinful world. Yes, Paul encountered life among his people to be very demanding, very stressful and very much designed around selfish desires and personal gain. I know, that sounds so much like today in so many ways. That’s why I believe God wants me to remind you of the hope that He has put in place for us around this very subject.
APPLICATION:
We might often become disheartened about the struggles we face, until we stop and consider the even deeper struggles that a friend or neighbor might face. I feel loved and encouraged to know that God knows all about our challenges of life, so much so, that He sent His messenger, Paul, to deliver a word of hope for us. In the hyperlink for our Scripture today, I included a few extra verses so that you could grasp the whole context, and understand how today’s verse fits in. It is so obvious that God was, and still is concerned about the ‘whole’ man. He is not just concerned about us living a happy life, although I’m sure that He could not be more pleased than to see His children that He created from dust, enjoying the blessings of all that He has provided for us. He knew in advance that there would be days that I might be down and out, but He ordained folk who are bound to have a super exciting day that would ‘rub shoulders’ with me and encourage, and lift me up. He also knew that we would need to be reassured of the hope that lies within us, a hope for the future that God has prepared for us to be in glory with He and the Father. So He had saints record their God-encounters that we might read and be encouraged. He called this accumulation of writings ‘The Bible’, and He has made that available to all who will read it and gain hope from it. In our verse today, we are reminded that His Word contains the following attributes that will especially help us through the tough times of life: Encouragement – Because God has prepared a place for those of us who have accepted His precious Son, we are encouraged to always have that hope to look forward to, whenever God calls us out of this world. Isn’t it encouraging that although we continually hear about how much worse this world is getting, yet for Christians, we have a big, glorious, happy, welcoming day coming when we shall see the face of Jesus and worship He and His Father, for ever and ever!! I am excited about that friend, and it gives me hope every time I am reminded of that day! Perseverance – Because of the hope referenced above, I can persevere the trials and temptations that I might face today, for I know they are only temporal, and the joy that awaits me, far exceeds anything that I might endure here on earth today, should I be afforded the liberty to remain here all day! Praise the wonderful name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord! Hope – The expectation of things yet to come. There are multiple cases of truth already proven in the Word of God, so I have every reason to be excited about the ‘Hope’ that lives within me and promised to me in the Word of God! My desire now is that I might share that ‘Hope’ with others today, so that they may know and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! So friend, if there is ‘Hope’ produced from reading the Word of God, may I encourage you to get your dose of it today so that as you approach the evil and discouragement this world tends to pour upon us, you will boldly declare ‘but greater is He (God) that is in us, than he (Satan) that is in the world’! With this hope friends, you can confidently face the world with all that it will challenge you with today and tomorrow.
PRAYER:
When we consider all that the world will throw at us every day, we can only praise God for His wonderful assurance of being with us each and every step. Lord how we need to be comforted with that assurance every day, and thank God, You have shown us exactly where and how to gain that ‘Hope’ and assurance. Your Word is a light unto our path; encouragement to our troubled souls; love to our loneliness of heart; strength to our often weak and troubled hearts; and everlasting hope that our future is drenched in everlasting joy as we worship at Your feet throughout eternity. Keep driving us towards the source of our encouragement and hope dear Lord. Help us to make it ours, so that we may spend our days glorifying You instead of worry about where the next piece of trouble will originate from! 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 Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

How, Then Shall We Live

On 2016-03-102016-03-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Commitment, How to LiveLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 John 3:1–3
Today’s Bible Text: What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I see such a sweet assurance in the beginning verse of how much my heavenly Father loves me, and how He calls us His children. My eyes were also opened to the reminder that the world may very well dislike us, because they do not have an appreciation for the things, or character of God. But then I realize that if we do not conform to their ways, they would hate us anyway, per Romans 12:2. In fact that verse tells us that God will change us from the inside out, so of course we will be different to anything we have ever witnessed before. But friends, the captioned verses today reminds us that our God will come one day to take us home to be with Him. Now that’s a day that we all look forward to, amen? But what about the here and now, what are we to be doing – how then shall we be living? Thankfully John covers this in verse 3, for he advised that we should aim to live like Jesus. I found it interesting that the Message chose to use such an awesome description of the life we are to live: ‘Glistening purity of Jesus’. That makes me think that we are to live squeaky clean, just as Christ was perfectly clean. Friends, I believe that the bottom line is that we live the changed life that we have committed ourselves to. How confusing it must be for nonbelievers to hear us preaching the goodness of the Lord from our mouths, yet living like the Devil in our actions and all of our practices. Jesus was pure in every way, and that’s what we are called to do as children of God. Will you be willing to commit to living the pure life exampled by Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You lived a perfect life amidst lots of evil. We also are called to live the kind of pure life that You lived, and our world seems even more corrupt and sinful today than anytime in history. For those of us willing to live the example You have set before us, may You endow us with power, wisdom, determination and total surrender, so that the enemy might see Jesus in all that we do and say. We need You precious Savior. Please work miraculously through us so that Your work might be done, by even us. AMEN!

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

2016

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: How to Live