Recognize God’s Objection

On 2015-11-282015-11-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – ³¹Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him. ³² “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. ³³ Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.” ³⁴ Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”~ Numbers 22:31-34 ~ _{New Living Translation (NLT)}

THOUGHTS: In my reading of God’s Word yesterday I read about God becoming angry with Moses for not carrying out His orders as instructed. Moses got so angry at his people that he was leading that instead of merely speaking to the rock that would produce water for them, like God instructed, he actually struck the rock twice. I can picture Moses being angry and/or disappointed enough to do this, but it was a vivid reminder that God, nor His Word, requires any additions by us. Because Moses subjected himself to adding this special emphasis, God punished Moses by telling him that he would never personally enter the land He had prepared for Moses and his people. I’m sure this taught Moses a lesson, but remember that this is included in God’s Book of instructions for us, to show us the importance of obedience, right down to the finest detail. In this story today, Balaam had already received instructions from God on why He didn’t want him to follow through on king Balak’s request, yet when Balak insisted by sending an even larger crowd of messengers to plead with Balaam again, Balaam went before the Lord a second time. Surprisingly God agreed with him this time, but He gave Balaam specific instructions. Now although it is not specifically detailed in scripture, I believe that God knew full well that the head nodding that He received from Balaam was not sincere, because He sent an angel to reinforce what He wanted Balaam to do. Very interesting story, but as in the case of Moses, God showed us again in the case of Balaam that He knows our heart and our very intent. He is not pleased when we say ‘yes’ to Him, then leave His presence and do whatever we want to do. Friends, I believe that it behooves us to quickly recognize that God is God, and we are not. It is better for us to disappoint our boss, or our spouse, or our friends and be obedient to whatever God has called us to do. Doing anything else could very easily bring undesirable consequences, as God redirects us into the path He has set out before us. May I encourage you to not question why, and never feel like you have a better way than God? If you are His child, then more than any earthly father, my God knows what’s best for you. Trust Him and be obedient to His call, and to His directions. He will never lead you astray nor lead you wrongly. We are His chosen vessels and He is preparing for our arrival into heaven, so of course He will watch over us and protect us while we are still on this planet.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for being patient with us while we try to be so independent, thinking that we have this thing called ‘life’ under control. Moses accomplished a lot more that we could ever dream of, yet You disciplined him severely for ‘doing his own thing’. Please help us to not question, nor try to prove our insignificant abilities, but to be obedient down to the finest detail when we hear a word from You. We are so needy, and You are so worthy. Please help us to spend our days seeking Your face, praising Your name and worshipping You, so that Your commands will naturally lead to our obedience and not our questioning or modifying. It’s the power of God that saves souls, not any abilities of ours. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, my Savior, knowing that it is only through His name that souls are saved and lives touched for the kingdom of God, 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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, Sebring, FL! 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!

Who Do You Think You Are?

On 2015-11-142015-11-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Example, Humility, Mortals, RulersLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – Psalm 8:3-6 – The Good News Translation (GNT): ³When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places – what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them? ⁵Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honor. You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation:

THOUGHTS: I believe that most people who tend to be humble, would probably respond to the question “Who do you think you are?” by saying “Nobody”, because we tend to compare ourselves to many who seem to have their act together; or who are popular with the masses; or who are successful in their jobs; or who have, what appears to be, ‘perfect’ families – especially compared to ours. However, if we can get our noses out of Social Media, or out of computer screens or personal wireless devices, and take a good look at everything that God has created around us, then perhaps we might appreciate why David looked into the heavens and questioned God as to why would He think so much of mankind who, compared to everything else that God made, seem so imperfect and so easily distracted by evil, and who fail so often to follow God’s commands and desires. Friends, David did just this, for he records having looked into the glories of the sky long enough to admire its expanse, beauty and glory. He also recognized the moon and the stars – their perfection, their significance and of course, to just see them suspended in space. Yet our awesome, powerful and all-knowing God, created us – mankind, to be like Him and to be in charge of everything that He created. Can you even imagine how we could be rated so highly in God’s eyes? I wonder if the positive side of all this is just that God wanted folk, just like Him, to represent Him here on planet earth? To do the very things that He commanded, and follow the example that He set for us, so that like Him, we too might minister to the needs of others and lead them towards the knowledge and love of the Savior who died for them. I don’t know about you friend, but when I stop and consider how poorly I do in following Christ like He has commanded in His Word, I can hardly raise my eyes towards the heavens, for I am so ashamed of the ways that I must let my God down. In fact, if it was not for His love, and His promise of forgiveness, I wonder if I would even feel at ease approaching His throne. Friends, our God created us with an awesome purpose in mind. Let’s keep this foremost in our minds, and like Paul, let us set our eyes on the things before us, praise God for the awesome love that surrounds us, and let us press on daily to depend on Him more – with the goal of being more like Him in every way. Who are we? We are children of the King! We are very special and super loved by the Master of this universe! He’s our King! To God be all glory and honor, forever, AMEN!

PRAYER: Lord God, I thank You for creating me in Your image. There is so much to be done here on this earth so that no one will be left behind, for each one was made in Your image. I pray that my readers and I will draw closer to You today, so that we might be usable vessels here on this earth. We touch a lot of lives, so I humbly ask that You might anoint us to be worthy representatives that might impact lives for You. May we be more like You each day is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Faith That Leads to Obedience

On 2015-10-162015-10-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Humility, Obedience, SubmissionLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – John 4:47-50): ⁴⁷ ..when the man heard that Jesus had come from Judea, he went and begged him to keep his son from dying. ⁴⁸ Jesus told the official, “You won’t have faith unless you see miracles and wonders!” ⁴⁹ The man replied, “Lord, please come before my son dies!” ⁵⁰ Jesus then said, “Your son will live. Go on home to him.” The man believed Jesus and started back home.

THOUGHTS: There are several things about this story that caught my attention:

Reputation: Notice that the official had heard about Jesus and His mighty works in the past, otherwise why would it have mattered if he heard that Jesus was coming to his town? People are burdened with needs today. Have they heard enough about Jesus and His mighty works in our churches and our families that they would become as determined as the official to take their concerns to Jesus? Is this our first stop – to take our deepest needs and concerns to Jesus?
Need: The official recognized a need that existed in his family, and he wanted to have it resolved. I believe that when we glorify God for all the good that He does every day, then we will automatically turn to Him in our needs also. Furthermore, I believe it is vital that we redirect our attention from the small selfish things and concentrate on the needs of others – especially our family members. Jesus, our role model, was always more concerned about others than of Himself;
Our view of Miracles: The official had predetermined ideas of what Jesus could, or could not do. Jesus chose to change His previous history of ‘hands on’ miracles, to merely heal the official’s son based on the faith of the father who asked and believed. That tells me that we must simply share our concerns with the Lord and not try to tell Him how, or when, to do His mighty works. God declares in His Word that His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. He is the potter, and we are merely the clay subject to His molding every day. In His molding process, He can fix broken or marred pieces along the way;
Faith and Obedience: Notice that the official didn’t turn away angry because Jesus didn’t do what he asked him to do. He had faith to believe in God and obediently follow His instructions. Will we just as easily turn aside and head back home with just a ‘go back home’ from the Lord? Where is your faith, friend? In this case, the obedience of the official resulted in extreme faith by he and his whole family, for in verse 53 we are told that they all placed their faith and trust in Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear God, Your Word is filled with proof that You are the great Physician; Healer and Miracle Worker. Yet You are also our Creator; our Savior and our Lord. Thank You for reminding us of being obedient to You even when You don’t respond exactly as we expect or may even demand. Thank You for the example of this official, for we are reminded that we are to be the obedient followers and not the demanding children trying to tell the Almighty God what to do or how to do it. This official simply followed Your command and great things happened. Lord, may we too be obedient servants, and simply let You be God. You know our needs and concerns today. Please have Your will and way in each of these and in growing us to be more like You every day, so that others may see, and believe in You. For I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 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, Sebring, FL! 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 Moses Became a More Effective Leader

On 2015-10-132015-10-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Humility, Leader, MosesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – Exodus 18:18-23): ¹⁸ “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. ¹⁹ Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. ²⁰ Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. ²¹ But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. ²² They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. ²³ If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”

THOUGHTS: I believe that these verses today are especially directed to help those of us who lead in God’s work. I have found in my short lifetime that it is very easy to agree to more and more responsibility and leadership in God’s work, probably because we feel like the more we do the more pleased God might be with us as individuals/leaders. There are many problems with this philosophy though, for we tend to:

Wear ourselves out, and therefore not energetic and enthused about the work we need to do;
Feel like if we don’t do the work, it won’t get done – as if God has only one person qualified to do His magnificent work among so many;
Not train others to take over from us, so we short them of opportunities – at our expense;
Ignore, or fall way short in our personal responsibilities to our family;
Not complete tasks with quality and care, because in our minds we have moved on to the next task that is often already running behind schedule;
Not spend quality time with the Lord, because our minds are so busy worry about all that must be accomplished.

I trust that we can learn to share the load, resume our rightful place, and watch God be Himself in our lives and in the lives we touch! Friends, I believe that we must quickly realize that God’s work is of super importance, and it is huge. We must do our best to make sure that we don’t become another Moses, where God’s work is thwarted by our capacity to achieve something. While we may have the skill set to handle many tasks, we must learn to train others and rejoice in their successes. Teamwork promotes growth among team members, and helps the overall work reach so many more, because each team member will be especially effective among those within their realm of influence. Friends, There are no other gods, so let’s allow God to be God, as we humbly take our stand as His humble servants, and allow Him to accomplish His work through us as part of a team of servants, not as little gods. Let’s help folk see God for who He truly is, not see us for something we can never be.

PRAYER: Lord, please touch Your leaders today and help us to be better servants, so that we might improve our submission and leadership skills. Help us to follow the example of Moses and listen to criticism and/or suggestions from others, especially those whom we feel, are led by Your Holy Spirit. There is so much work to be done among our family and friends that we may tend to feel like it will be ineffective if we don’t jump in there and take control. Lord, please help us to always remember that it can only be Your job to actually impact hearts towards recognizing You and allowing You to become a part of their life. Please forgive us for trying to take control. May we serve You with every ounce of our being, but never cross the line of taking Your role as our Master and our Lord. We need You dear Lord, for only You can save the souls of mankind. May Your will be accomplished through me today – one of Your humble servants. For I ask this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Starting Over

On 2015-09-152015-09-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Children, Humility, New beginningsLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Matthew 18:1-5): ¹At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom?” ^2–5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom.

THOUGHTS: After growing up through childhood, many might find it challenging to understand why Jesus would declare that we become like that again if we desire to enter the kingdom of heaven. So I wanted to share a few things that might help us understand how Jesus may have been thinking. When children are very young, they are very trusting and gullible. They couldn’t care less who is in charge, as long as they get fed and cleaned up. Outward distinctions mean nothing to them, as long as they feel loved and cared for. They are free from malice, even when they don’t get their own way. They are teachable, and are willingly dependent on their parents. It is true that they soon begin to show other dispositions, and other ideas are taught them at an early age; but these are all marks of a maturing child. I believe that it is this type of character that Jesus is teaching us that would render us as lowly and ready to accept His love and His care. In other words, just as explained about a newborn child, that’s how Jesus teaches we are to be as a newborn Christian. There is no room for pride, or self-will or boasting, we are to be wholly and solely dependent on the Holy Spirit that takes control of us when we surrender. In fact, we are to continually, and daily, renew the spirit of our minds, that we may become simple and humble, as little children, and willing to be the least of all. Let us daily study this subject, and examine our own spirits. I have found that should I ever get stuck in a project and can’t seem to break through my frustrations, if I would simply start over I will usually avoid my original roadblocks and go on to victory. Perhaps we need to consider allowing Jesus to give us a fresh start also. As His precious child, receiving His special care, I know that we will be more than conquerors in the long run.

PRAYER: Starting over, sounds a lot like ‘born again’ – almost impossible. But Father, I know that our own self-will and our personal desires and knowledge presents roadblocks for us here in this tough life on earth. Please give us the strength to surrender to Your will for our lives. May we become so desirous of Your perfect will and Your powerful hand in our lives that we will be willing to surrender self and become obedient like a small child would be to a parent. Perhaps at that point we will be more apt to listen and obey. Lord, may we be usable instruments in Your perfect and all powerful hands, willing to be used of You to accomplish Your work. I ask these things humbly and in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Invitation and Rewards

On 2015-08-282015-08-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Humility, WitnessingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy-To-Read Version – Revelation 22:12-13; 17): ¹² “Listen, I am coming soon! I will bring rewards with me. I will repay everyone for what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should also say, “Come!” All who are thirsty may come; they can have the water of life as a free gift if they want it.

THOUGHTS: Depending on who’s pitching a party it could be well attended, because invitees look forward to the eats, drinks and favors that normally abound. In other words, the rewards. Our scripture today is very comforting in many respects and I want us to be encouraged in several ways by what it reveals to us. Through John, God reassures us that He is coming back soon, and that He is bringing rewards with Him. I don’t believe that this is intended to bribe, because throughout the Bible we are told about the hope, the everlasting life, the worship around the throne and the joy that believers in Christ can look forward to when Jesus returns to take His bride with Him. So I believe that this is just reassurance of the promises already given to us in the Word. Now in verses 14 thru 16 we are shown how God will recognize and accept those who claim Him as Lord, but in verse 17 we are encouraged to spread the Word (invite) at every opportunity, for it says that if we hear this call of God to come, we are encouraged to spread this word to those that we come into contact with. The invitation is extended to everyone (ALL) – even those who are parched by the lack of love and understanding from this world, for they will receive refreshment – water that provides life like never experienced before. Friends, notice that there are no conditions or special classes qualified in either of these types mentioned. The Word says that for everyone who hears, they should invite others to come. We tend to feel like that’s the preacher’s job. If you received a gift of money, you wouldn’t wait for the bank to tell everyone, you would be telling everyone how blessed you are financially. Look also at who are filtered from the list of those who can come to satisfy their thirst. The Word specifically reaffirms what was said in John 3:16 – ALL may come to the fountain of life to satisfy their thirst, or as relayed in John “that whosoever believes on Him may have eternal life”. To the Christian, we dare not limit to whom we will share the gospel. To the uncommitted, unsaved, non-believer, be encouraged that this invitation in opened to you. Lay aside the weights (sin) that might be holding you down, and accept the invitation from my Master today, is my humble plea to you. You deserve the best from the King of all kings, and God wants you to have it!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for Your precious and holy Word. Thank You that even right up to the end of the Book Your promise is still there and Your desire to see us in heaven with You is still very real! Thank You for once again reminding Christians to share the Good News, and to be a light in this dark world of sin. A light that represents the Light of the World. Thank You for sharing a message of hope for the lost right up to the end of this great Book. There is hope for us all, and I thank You for thinking of us all. I pray that I might be the messenger of hope that You expect of Your children, so that those that I rub up against might know that my Redeemer lives and is available to them. We are blessed with Your Word, now may we be a blessing to others, is my humble prayer that I ask in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

What Goodness Is

On 2015-08-052015-08-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Fairness, Humility, Kindness, Loyalty, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy-To-Read Version – Micah 6:6-8): ⁶ What must I bring when I come to meet with the Lord? What must I do when I bow down to God above? Should I come to him with burnt offerings and a year-old calf? ⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Should I offer him my first child to pay for my wrongs? Should I sacrifice my very own child for my sins? ⁸ Human, the Lord has told you what goodness is. This is what he wants from you: Be fair to other people. Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God.

THOUGHTS: One commentary said that verse 8 relays the meaning of ‘spiritual reality’ compared to mere ‘ritual worship’. I believe that helps me to understand what God was saying through Micah here. Weekly we see where thousands of people attend church, but in our experience with them throughout the week, we see unchanged lives – seldom do they exude the love of Jesus in every way through every phase of their lives? Micah chose to expose some of the things that the Israelites brought to the temple, or shared in normal conversation, when describing how they thought they could please God or seek His forgiveness, or just to get right with God. Micah explained that it was not necessary to reinvent what God had already made clear to them. Friends, I believe these words are extremely applicable to us today also, for some of us may feel like our church attendance makes us right with God, or perhaps the offering we give, or perhaps the way we express ourselves over right vs wrong. However, what God relayed through His prophet in verse 8 are some very simple and basic things:

Be fair to other people – Try to understand others. Appreciate where they might be coming from in their thoughts and their actions. Never think that you have all the answers to everyone else’s wrongs. Think about them like God thinks of us – we may be unworthy, but He loved us enough to sacrifice His one and only Son so that we may stand a chance at eternity with Him;
Love kindness and loyalty – This involves being kind to those that Jesus loves. This may involve folk that appear to hate your guts or despise what you believe or stand for. This may involve folk who live totally different to the way you do. But imagine, if you can live beyond what they expect, how will you prove that you are any different to them? Be loyal as if you were serving the King, not just enough to get by in the eyes of those that might observe you.
Humbly obey the Lord – Set pride and personal aspirations aside and obey what the Master desires of you. Humility means emptying yourself of self and refilling yourself with God. I love that old hymn normally sung as an invitation – “I surrender all”, for I feel like my life should be in a constant state of surrendering all of me to all of God.

Anything you need to work on friend? Anything that will help you enhance your spiritual reality while here on earth? Examine yourself and decide to surrender all to Jesus today. When you do, refill yourself with the attributes of God so that He might be able to use you even more while here on earth.

PRAYER: Lord God, Your Word is all powerful and very applicable to our lives today. I therefore believe that You placed this scripture before me today to enhance my walk with You, and to use this blog to help others to also recognize where their strength lies, and the direction that you would have them go in order to become more like You in the eyes of those that they will witness to today. This old world needs Jesus, and we only get in the way when we try to give them more of ourselves. We need to be an open book that Jesus can fill and use its pages to speak to the unsaved. Lord, please have Your perfect way in our imperfect lives, so that the miracle of rebirth might occur in the lives of all that we will touch today. I ask all this in the precious and life-giving name of Jesus, AMEN!

The Extravagant, Generous, Deep Wisdom of God

On 2015-07-302015-07-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, Praise, WisdomLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Romans 11:33-36): ^33-36 Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.

THOUGHTS: How Great is our God! Our God is an Awesome God! How Great Thou Art! Great and Mighty is the Lord our God! What a Mighty God We Serve! These are all great hymns/songs written and made popular because they remind us of the awesome God that we serve! Very often here in this life we feel like we can explain everything away. We have great knowledge and we have tremendous research capabilities with the internet. However, like we are reminded by Paul in this scripture today, there is so much that we just can’t explain about the awesomeness of our God. Think for a moment the sun that rises each day – it provides life for plants, yet its intensity is enough to give mankind skin cancer or a stroke. Think about the rain – this dry thirsty earth needs rain to grow its plants and even provide an ongoing supply of potable water, yet we have no control over when it comes, or what areas of the earth it impacts. It’s a ‘God’ thing! I just returned from an area of the world where they only receive a total of 8 – 10 inches of rain per year. Compare that to other areas that might receive that quantity of rain in a good day of rain. Yet, plants and people survive in both areas with what God provides for them. This is the ingenuity of my God! I believe that we must learn to adapt to the blessings that God bestows on us where we are at, for His ways are not our ways. He placed us perfectly where He needs us and we must learn to praise Him in all circumstances. In all of life’s circumstances, let us learn to give God praise. It is evidence that we trust Him to do His job perfectly!

PRAYER: Father, You are awesome in every way. You provide the things that we need when we need them. Please forgive us when we try to intervene, instead of praising You from hearts of thanksgiving and appreciation. Please be especially good today to those who have sacrificed everything, to serve those who have nothing, because they want to allow Your love to be expressed through them and draw the unsaved unto Yourself. Please tender the hearts of Your children who are spoiled because of all the blessings You bestow on us, yet we find reason to whine and complain. May this devotional today be a reminder of Your mighty and wonderful impact on our lives, and may we therefore learn to be a thankful people filled with hearts of thanksgiving and praise. Only You are worthy Oh Lord. May we learn to recognize that and glorify You every day for allowing us to be a part of that! I ask all this in the strong and awesome name of Jesus Christ, 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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, pleas.e go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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, Sebring, FL! 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!

Instruments To Be Used of God

On 2015-07-292015-07-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, Instruments, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Romans 11:16-18): ^16-18 Behind and underneath all this there is a holy, God-planted, God-tended root. If the primary root of the tree is holy, there’s bound to be some holy fruit. Some of the tree’s branches were pruned and you wild olive shoots were grafted in. Yet the fact that you are now fed by that rich and holy root gives you no cause to crow over the pruned branches. Remember, you aren’t feeding the root; the root is feeding you.

THOUGHTS: The scripture that includes the verses above is rich, for it reminds me that I must be careful that my faith and trust is so grounded in God that my life is a reflection of all that God shows Himself to be in His Word. I’ve heard folk say that a child is a branch off the old tree – meaning that the child reminds them so much of the parents that one can’t help knowing who the child belongs to. Friends, there is a God who loves us unconditionally and with such great love that He sacrificed His only Son for our benefit. When we surrender our lives to God and ask Him to be our God, and to live and work in and through us, we essentially ask Him to plant Himself steadfastly in us so that our lives might be a true reflection of Him. Paul explains in these verses that God is able to implant within us His Holy Spirit to guide and direct us – to make us holy – just as He is holy. However, we are immediately warned that when we recognize this added strength and wisdom, we are to never lose sight of where that new character comes from. It is the root, or strength of the Almighty that lives within us, and nothing that we ourselves can boast of. Friends, I believe that there is nothing more obvious to a non-Christian than a fake, or self-serving Christian living life in their own pride. We are what we become, only through the grace of God, and only because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Let us therefore learn to boast only of Him and give Him the glory for any accomplishments in and through our lives. It is only through the precious fruit that He implants in us and magnifies through us that result in our unsaved friends recognizing the source of our hope. It’s all about Jesus, friend. He is the root that supports our strength and feeds our growth. It’s Jesus that our unsaved friends need, not us. I pray that we will continue to be vehicles in which Jesus can travel as we come into contact with our friends and loved ones.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Israel may have gotten cocky because of the manifold mercies You bestowed on them. I recognize that we may tend to get like that at times also, because for some reason we may feel like we have the power to save or touch lives that really need You. Thank You for reminding us through this scripture today, that we are only the branches that are plugged into the most powerful source available to mankind – the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ! Please help us to never boast of self, for we are nothing without our power source – Your sweet Holy Spirit. Please help us to always be available to be used of You, and never assume the leadership role hoping that You will jump on board our vehicle. Miracles, like that of new birth in the lives of our family and friends, will only be possible when You touch their lives, so please help us to take our rightful roles as Your instruments that can only work when the Master chooses to use us for His glory and His honor. People Need the Lord more today than ever before. May we be usable instruments in Your hands oh Lord. I ask this in faith and in the awesome and strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

The Immediacy of Prayer

On 2015-07-072015-07-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, PrayerLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Daniel 9:20-23): ²⁰I was still confessing my sins and those of all Israel to the Lord my God, and I was praying for the good of his holy mountain, ²¹when Gabriel suddenly came flying in at the time of the evening sacrifice. This was the same Gabriel I had seen in my vision, ²² and he explained: Daniel, I am here to help you understand the vision. ²³ God thinks highly of you, and at the very moment you started praying, I was sent to give you the answer.

THOUGHTS: I was touched by the words that I bolded in verse 23, for several reasons: 1). Notice with me that God sent Gabriel to give Daniel the answers to his prayers before he even asked for anything! Gabriel said that at the very moment Daniel began to pray, God sent him with the answer for Daniel! 2). Notice the content of Daniel’s prayer, compared to many of our prayers today. His prayer was about seeing God glorified and the people of the city forgiven. There was nothing geared towards self, other than asking forgiveness for his sin that he was confessing. I am well aware of the importance of Daniel in prophecy; in the writer of a very important book in the Old Testament; and in his close communion with God. But friends, I am reminded that we also are of equal importance to God. Just imagine: He saw our temptations coming; He saw our weakness towards sin itself and the sinful things of this earth; He knew that we would need lots of help overcoming evil and that we would struggle big time to ever make it into the glories of heaven, so He sent His very only Son to be born among us, live among us and face the same challenges that we face, but then to also die a very challenging death, all so that we might know that He went to the extreme to show His love for mankind. God did all this knowing that we would need to know about this kind of sacrifice in order to make it into heaven to be with Him. It’s like He ‘spoon fed’ His gift of salvation to us, knowing that all we have to do is like Daniel: acknowledge our sin; humble ourselves and pray for His forgiveness; and receive Him as our Lord and Savior – this ultimately being the only means of us getting into heaven to be with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Try reading this chapter friend, see and understand the heart of Daniel, and see how responsive God was to his humility, his prayer and the sincerity of his heart. This is the same God that we know, and have access to today! He’s not dead! He’s still alive and loves us with that same kind of love today! I believe He patiently waits for us to surrender our weak selves to Him, ask Him for His help from a heart of unselfish love and dedication towards the unsaved world and towards the ongoing glory of God, and His purpose here on this earth. Where do you stand friend? Are you so hung up on self that you have no time to plead with God about His concerns? If so, you may be way too distracted from the ‘real thing’! Seek God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you!

PRAYER: Dear God, You are awesome! Like Daniel, we too are weak and desperately in need of Your touch on our city, our state and our nation. We too yearn for a day when our people will praise Your holy name because of who You are, and not because of what You might do for us individually. Help us to seek Your face without placing our selfish desires before You. We are a blessed people. Please help us to always honor and praise the originator of those blessings and seek to worship and praise You through every means we can conjure up, and on every occasion accessible to us. I acknowledge that You are God, and You are so worthy of our continual praise. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever! These are my petitions and my offerings of praise oh Lord, may Your holy name be lifted up today, for I ask all this in and through the name of Your Son, Jesus, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Humility