Category: Love

Embracing Love: Lessons from the Samaritan Woman

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, LoveLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Sunday, June 8, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa at Hunter Road, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read John 4:15-19 in your Bible or click on it to read it online in the Living Bible (TLB).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
For some background leading up to these particular verses, we must be reminded that Jesus was on an uncommon path to Jerusalem, by way of Samaria. This was a path not usually traveled by the Jews, for they made it a point to stay clear of the Samaritans, whom they distained and whom they felt were illegitimate and extremely distasteful to be around. So I believe that the first key point in our lesson today is to remember that prejudice and hatred for any particular sect of people is a mankind thing, as God made us all, sent His Son for all who would believe on Him, and Jesus died and rose again so that all of God’s children who come to Him (believe on Him and surrender themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ) will be saved. Friends, I am convinced that Jesus was as comfortable with this Samaritan woman as He would have been with any king or queen from a Jewish nation. I also believe that Jesus wants to have fellowship with you and me because He created us and loves us beyond anything we could imagine. Yes, we have sinned, and yes, we have disregarded the commands of our Master in His Word, but praise God He has not turned His back on us nor joined with others who despise us because of our financial position, our ancestry, or our place in the palace of an earthly leader. Another important note for us to think about is that the Samaritan Woman seems to have conceded to the offer by Jesus for the life-giving water that only He could provide, as to say that if only I could partake of this water You offered, then perhaps I would be able to…… Is that the sort of deal we try to make when parents or close friends are trying to convince us of our need for salvation? Jesus, ‘save me’ and then perhaps these people will get off my back and leave me alone, or ‘save me’ and I will then connect with a much better crowd that I am currently involved in? You know, I come from an area that was bombarded with the threat, and often the damages, of hurricanes each year. The weather man would tell us to prepare, for a hurricane is eminent at our location over the next few days. We didn’t look to find a better deal, or something more fun to do, we started securing our homes, boats and vehicles for the onslaught of a hurricane. Why then do we not listen and adhere to God’s warnings in His Word? Like the weatherman I mentioned above, God loves us enough that He wants us to be prepared for the day that He will call us out of this world. He wants us to be ready for eternity in Heaven, rather than accepting the damnation of Hell. I wonder, have you been obedient to the call of God? If not, I encourage you to read my Footnote carefully and accept my tips on meeting my Savior and Lord. For He desires relationship with you, my friend! The Bible tells us that a home has been prepared in Heaven for those who accept Jesus as their Lord. He has prepared for your arrival my friend. Please don’t disappoint Him.

PRAYER
Lord I am so humbled by Your expression of love for this Samaritan woman that so many of Your own countrymen went to extremes to avoid contact with, because they had placed her in a box – one filled with rejects that they thought could never be worthy of You and Your love. Oh Lord, You chose to do the same for me as You did for that woman, in spite of my unworthiness, yet You loved me and chose me to live with You in Heaven throughout all eternity. But Lord, I’m afraid that we have yet to learn a lesson from Your display of mercy and love for the Samaritan woman, for we still turn up our noses at those who are different than us. We jump to our own conclusions based on our worldly rules of likes and dislikes, but seldom does that ever equal what You have demonstrated and taught us throughout Your Word. Please forgive us Lord, and help us to love like You love us, and help us to always consider others thru eyes of mercy and humbleness of our heart and soul. May it always be obvious that we love others as an expression of the love You demonstrated to us. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

Finding Compassion: Reflecting on Jeremiah’s Message

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, Compassion, Evangelize, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Love2 Comments

DATE POSTED
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa at Hunter Road, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Quoted from The Message (MSG) and found in Jeremiah 9:1-2

THE SCRIPTURE READS
1-2 I wish my head were a well of water and my eyes fountains of tears So I could weep day and night for casualties among my dear, dear people.
At times I wish I had a wilderness hut, a backwoods cabin, Where I could get away from my people and never see them again. They’re a faithless, feckless bunch, a congregation of degenerates.

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
Unless you are aware that Jeremiah is known as ‘The Weeping Prophet’, it may be challenging for you to understand where he is coming from in these first two verses of chapter 9 in the book he wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Although I must be the first to say that I have not been led to tears over the sins of my fellow believers, I have often pondered if pastors ever get to this stage after seeing their parishioners continue to live in sin, in spite of the heartfelt, Holy Spirt-led teaching and preaching they do each week. I believe that we all can identify to some extent when we think about our children who continue in rebellion regardless of the lessons we have taught them and the life-examples we have lived out before them. As for these devotionals, I was once asked where do I find these on the internet so that I could share these through Nuggets From God’s Word. For those who read these carefully, you already know that these are from my heart as inspired by the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me. However, in my study on these verses, I was so touched by one of the commentators that I refer to often, that I feel compelled to share his teaching with you on these verses. John Courson explains: ‘Jeremiah didn’t deliver his prophecies condemningly, with fingers pointing. He delivered them from a broken heart and with tear-filled eyes. That’s why God chose him. Some people come into our lives and say, “Woe is you,” as they condemn and point their fingers. Not Jeremiah. He shared the message of God accurately, but not without weeping compassionately. I believe we have no right to judge any other person or situation if we’re not brokenhearted about it. If I don’t feel compassion and tenderness, brokenness and love, I need to keep my mouth shut. I don’t have any right to point out the dirt on another’s feet unless I’m willing to do what Jesus did—to get down and start washing. If I’m not willing to get involved in restoring, loving, weeping, and caring, I’m missing the mark entirely.‘ Friends, there are some principles in this, that if our church followed them, we might be as close as we could get on earth to having a righteous, God-loving, holy and caring church. One that the unsaved would feel more compelled to join, and learn together with us about the God that we serve. If they got the slightest inkling that God is impacting our lives in such a way, they would be so excited about also accepting His Son, Jesus, as their Savior and allowing Him to be Lord of their life. So why don’t we mourn over the sin and its effects on our family, neighbors and fellow church members? Could it be that we don’t care about them? Or that we’re afraid of how they might respond to us? Or, could it be that we are so on and off in our own relationship with God because we don’t have a living, daily, intimate relationship with the Savior who died for us so that we might have the chance of eternity in Heaven? Is the sin in your own life causing you to cry out before a holy and righteous God? Is your relationship with Jesus fueled only by the Pastor’s sermons whenever you attend church, or do you enjoy a daily, regular, intimate time with the Lord each and every day? Have you been accused by a friend of being Christ-like, or is that reserved only for your time inside the church walls? I believe we were designed to cry, or shed tears, for things that truly hurt us deeply. When we do all we can to lead someone to the Lord, it will hurt us to even look at them and see them continue in sin. This might very well trigger a flood of tears from the hurt we feel inside. Perhaps we should petition the Father to cause us to hurt for the things that bring Him reason to hurt. This might incent us to seek God’s help to fulfill His purpose in reaching the lost for Christ.

PRAYER
Precious Lord Jesus, thank You for creating us to hurt for the things You hurt for. I can only imagine how it must hurt You deeply when we allow Satan to intervene and take away our God-likeness, and harden our hearts to either gossip about our struggling neighbors or to put them down, instead of following Your example to love us, sacrifice for us and lift us up from our life of sin. Praise God for showing, and promising us the glories of Heaven, that’s fit for a child of the King. Please Lord, teach us to desire a living, daily, personal relationship with You, so that we may desire and aim for the same for those in our inner circle of family and friends. Jeremiah was known as the ‘weeping prophet’ because of his deep desire to see people know His God and live like His children. Please touch our hearts to desire the same thing You want for Your children who need a Savior and a close relationship with You. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. I would also suggest that you speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com and share your good news! Perhaps one of God’s servants will pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue, your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby 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 being a part of that, while also growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Our Source of Power, Love and Self-Control

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Love, Needs, Power, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, June 8, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) IS FOUND IN 2 Timothy 1:6-7

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: … I want you to remember the gift God gave you. God gave you that gift when I laid my hands on you. Now I want you to use that gift and let it grow more and more, like a small flame grows into a fire. The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: There are many excuses we give for not sharing our story with others nor the wonderful love of Jesus and the amazing sacrifice that He made, just for His children who accept Him as Lord and Savior. But as we remind ourselves of the great counsel given to Timothy, by Paul, in these verses, I wonder if we realize how meaningless those excuses are. Continue with me so we might think about this together.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: The excuses started with our ancestors of Bible times. Why Moses thought he could not speak clearly enough to accept God’s order to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Yet under the guidance, and with the power of, Almighty God, Moses led, fed and nurtured over a million people out of the slavery restraints of Pharoah, through the desert and the Red Sea as they headed towards the Promised Land. David, just a young lad, offered to battle Goliath, a giant whom the whole Israelite army feared, and in spite of the many excuses by the army generals, this young man’s dependence on God helped him to bring the giant down. Paul, a man in prison for simply spreading the love of Jesus Christ, yet God worked through him to save prison guards, break free from the prison chains and, against all possible odds, open the well secured gates to walk out and continue his ministry. I could go on and on about our miraculous God but suffice it to say that our excuses have no hold on the power of Almighty God, who stands ready to accomplish His work through simple old us, and against all doubts of sinful men. Timothy was very much like us, where he doubted his capabilities and possibly even the power of God. But praise God, Paul, who had seen God deliver him from many challenges, especially the constraints of the evil one, stood ready to mentor, encourage and help open up the spiritual eyes of Timothy. And because of God including this story in His Word, you and I could also be encouraged to face our giants in confidence knowing that the Holy Son of God, who came from very humble beginnings and encountered much mockery and scorn, sits at the right hand of the Father ready to help us overcome our fears, timidity and doubt. Friends, God wants us to simply do what the Holy Spirit leads us to do and say, so that the glory of God may still be revealed, even today, as we attempt to lead the unsaved into the joys of heaven, through the very Son of God. Sure, there may be mockery, doubt and even push-back by the nay sayers and those aiming to restrain the Word of God, but we must always remember that greater is He who lives and reigns inside of us, than he who continues to create havoc and all forms of sin among those of this world who refuse to accept Jesus as Lord. My fellow believers, Jesus is the source of our power, love and self-control, and there isn’t anything that He can’t do through us to accomplish His kingdom’s mission. Let us learn to go out into our mission field and share the love and ministry of Jesus Christ so that the world might know and believe in the very Son of God. Let’s no longer give the world reason to doubt God because of our timidity, we know that Jesus lives, because He lives inside of us. And from that power, we can do all things through Him who saved us from our sin and continues to ready us for heaven! What an awesome God we serve!

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: His Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit, is our source of power and love and self-control and we no longer need to make excuses for not being worthy or able to accomplish His work.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Please, Lord Jesus, remind us constantly of the awesome power of our Holy and Mighty God that lives inside of us and stands ready to accomplish Your work through us. Any doubt or fear can only be attributed to the evil one who is constantly trying to block the work and power of God. I believe that one of Your greatest commands given to us is ‘Go ye into the world and preach the gospel’ and it’s probably one of the things that we work hardest at fighting, because in many ways we are still way too attuned to the voice of Satan. Lord, please fill us again today, so that we may stand bold in our faith and know without a doubt that You are our source of power, love and self-control, and that we can do ALL things through You – the One who saved us and works mightily through us. For the unsaved that we will cross paths with today, please help us to show the love and power of Jesus Christ, their only hope for eternity in heaven with You. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Go online to Apple Podcasts, or using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to 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!

Divine Blessings in Successful Marriages, etc.

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Love, Marriage, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Success, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2023-01-18.
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 127:1-3
TRANSLATION: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 If the Lord does not build the house, it is useless for the builders to work on it.
If the Lord does not protect a city, it is useless for the guard to stay alert.
2 It is useless to work hard for the food you eat by getting up early and going to bed late. The Lord gives ⌞food⌟ to those he loves while they sleep.
3 Children are an inheritance from the Lord. They are a reward from him.

APPLICATION: Solomon, known as the wisest man on earth, was also the richest man of his time and he was looked up to by leaders of neighboring countries because of his success. Solomon was also known as a man of God – obedient to God’s commands, and he honored his God in ways that man had never before witnessed such devotion and tribute. Why then do we see such division in our marriages, home life, and even in our children today? It seems a rarity to meet a couple who is still married to the spouse of their youth. In America, the records show that over 50% of first-time marriages fail. Unfortunately, Christians make up a good portion of that number. It is evident that even if you are walking close to the Lord, you will experience attack and assault on your marriage. It truly irks me to hear a young man respond, ‘I know she is another man’s wife, but I love her any way’. Unfortunately, this goes both ways, for women do the same thing, because they are intrigued by another man’s attention. In the Bible, we are told that in the same manner that God loves the church, that’s how He has enabled a man to love his wife. So as a man demonstrates that love, Satan is angered and tries his best to destroy that love. But Christians, we also know that greater is He (God) that is in us, than he (Satan) that is in the world. So, if we asked God to forgive us of our sins, and have trusted Him to do so, then we must learn to surrender our decisions to His will, and for His purpose. This includes our lifelong mate, our children – should we be blessed with one or more, our jobs and our everyday challenges. Can you see where this would really agitate Satan? God would force him to keep his hands off that which belongs to Him. That’s why we encounter conflicts, for Satan is constantly looking for our weak points. Friends, when we belong to Jesus Christ, we should take Matthew 6:33 very seriously, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ultimately, all these other things will be added to you’. Now, as we enjoy marriage, God may bless us with little ones who could learn to be just like us. Children are a blessing from the Lord (vs 3), not an inconvenience, nor obstacles to our success in life. Because our spouse and our children are blessings from God, we should devote our attention to their happiness and give them our undivided attention. That’s a challenge for us folk! Electronic devices, old friends, hobbies, and a greed for more, more, more, is the norm for most families today. Yet in verse 2, God comforts and assures us that there is no need to labor night and day, or even long hours each day, for He is our Provider! Oh, that God would give each reader and listener the reassurance today that our priorities might be in order to achieve the success that God wants for us: God first, family second, church third and work, friends, hobbies and greedy desires to follow. To those considering marriage, let me encourage you to consider the priority I listed above for a long, happy and contented marriage. When you start off with dating, if God is first, then you will find in His Word that He wants you to wait until marriage before you give into sex with your partner. Living together is intended for a couple already joined in marriage. When you start off on the right track, with the right leader in charge of your life and willing to bless you beyond your wildest expectations, then your marriage will follow in like manner. But no matter where you are today, seek the face of the Master and ask Him to direct your path and help you get on a holy tract following His commands and living in righteousness like He exampled before you. I believe God will hear your heart’s cry and help you press that ‘reset button’ to walk in His ways until He calls you home to glory.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: I was blessed to catch a glimpse of how God will bless us, if we stop our selfish and greedy drive for success and allow Him first place in our lives. Just imagine, God is waiting to bless us, if we will let Him. I don’t believe we will find anyone else on earth that could take His place in His unselfish, unconditional desire to bless us! Oh, what a Savior!

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord for creating us and showing us how to love others, just as You have loved us. Thank You for family – spouse, children and relatives who will love us in spite of who we are. But in the Scripture today, You reminded us of what it takes to be the child, as you designed; the spouse, as You have blessed us with in our marriages; the dad and mom, in response to the child(ren) You have blessed us with; and the citizens at work, with friends, and in all relationships where we aim to example You. It is often said that we are not perfect in any of these ways, but in knowing the only Perfect One, I believe today that we can call on You to help us do a better job of portraying You to a lost and dying world. Live through us, work through us and love through us, Lord, so that the world will be reminded of the One we call Master, Lord, and Savior of the world. Help us Lord, to help others in their walk, and in their desire to be more like You. 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!

A Demonstration of God’s love For His Children

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Love, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-12-6
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Kings 13:1-6
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: 1-3 …. Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria—a rule of seventeen years. He lived an evil life before God, walking step for step in the tracks of Jeroboam son of Nebat who led Israel into a life of sin, swerving neither left or right. Exasperated, God was furious with Israel and turned them over to Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad son of Hazael. This domination went on for a long time.
4-6 Then Jehoahaz prayed for a softening of God’s anger, and God listened. He realized how wretched Israel had become under the brutalities of the king of Aram. So God provided a savior for Israel who brought them out from under Aram’s oppression.

APPLICATION: Why should it matter how people see us, you might ask. I believe it is obvious that the people under each king’s rule in the Old Testament, were impacted by who they were, and how they responded – based on their principal values. Is that what happens in the department you have supervision over at work? Will your beliefs and principles become a part of them? What about your family, does the same happen with them? I believe the BIG question for us to consider today is: how far will you be permitted to impose bad habits or cruel treatment or rudeness on those who look up to you, before your reins are pulled in and you are held accountable? How bad will it get before God gives up on you and refuses to listen to your heart’s cry? Jehoahaz was described as a king who couldn’t be bothered to change any bad habits, rules, or laws introduced by his predecessors. In fact, as this translation says, ‘he didn’t swerve to the left or the right of the habits, laws and actions handed to him’. Although there is no evidence that this king accepted God to rule over His life and lead him to be the best king they ever had, yet we could see that the king knew where his only source of help would come from – God alone. When the enemy had totally destroyed his kingdom, and he realized that there was not one thing he could do better, he didn’t turn to his astrologers, or his wise men, or his magicians, like some other kings did. He turned to the One true God, whom he had no doubt, could solve the dilemma he faced. Now, for you and me – whether we are a pastor, elder, deacon, other church leader of just a regular church member, I believe Jehoahaz would have been hard-pressed getting our attention or help, based on all the trouble he may have caused us. But thank God, the king turned to One much greater than us! The One whose example we should aim to follow all the days we have remaining on earth. For you see, knowing this king’s heart, knowing the disregard he had for God’s people, and knowing how this may be the very first time that he called on God for anything, yet because of God’s love for His children, God not only listened to the cry of Jehoahaz, but He also provided a savior to rescue he and his nation from the tyranny they were facing from Aram and his army. STOP! Wait just a minute. God provided a savior for this sinful man who caused such death and destruction on a whole nation? Who could ever forgive such an awful man? My friend, the story of Jehoahaz describes each of us meditating on this word from God today. While we were still sinners – just like Jehoahaz, yet God loved us enough that He sent His very own son – a Savior, to save us from our sin and destruction brought on by the enemy, then He gave us the rights to eternity with the Father and the Son. As I meditate on this, there’s a chorus that comes to mind, ‘If that Isn’t love‘. Stop for a moment and watch/worship with this short music video, I believe you will be blessed as you reflect on all that God did in providing a Savior for you. In the story of Jehoahaz, the people did like many of us today. They were happy about the help from God, but they quickly returned to their sin and sinful deeds. Make your experience and commitment a lasting one my friend. God loves you today, and every day for the rest of your life. Let your commitment to Him be just as lasting – until you see Him in glory someday soon!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In spite of Jehoahaz being disobedient and disobeying God’s commands, yet because of God’s love for His children, He sent a savior to rescue them and restore their peace. Because of God’s love for us, He also sent a Savior for us – Jesus Christ, His Son! Praise be to God!

PRAYER: Thank You Jesus, that because of God’s wondrous love for us, He sent You, His one and only Son, so that we, even while we were just sinners – undeserving of anything from Him, to be our Savior and Lord. Oh, what a Savior! Oh, what grace from our Almighty King! Thank You Father, Son and Holy Spirit for loving me, and for loving each and every reader and listener who will commit their lives to Your amazing grace today. Lord, You are more wonderful than anything we could imagine! Please touch our hearts so that we might be more like You in every way, to all that we come into contact with, so that You may be glorified through our words and actions. 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!

Express Your Love For God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Love, Love God, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of God, Things God loves, Unconditional love3 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2022-10-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL.

Bible Reference: Psalm 123:1-2
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: 1 O God-Enthroned in heaven, I worship and adore you!
2 The way I love you is like the way a servant wants to please his master, the way a maid waits for the orders of her mistress. We look to you, our God, with passionate longing to please you and discover more of your mercy and grace

APPLICATION: I’ve seen this done at church, where the congregation was asked to give descriptive words of how they know that God loves them, and why they love God. Very often this comes with a lot of Biblical terms, churchy words, and words that you might hear from the pulpit, or over Christian radio. But I wonder how much more personal this might be if it was just you and God. If there were no devices, and no distractions, but you became overwhelmed with the thought of how powerful God is; how loving He is; how forgiving He is; and that God had brought you to a point where you realized that He is an awesome God who loves you – individually, more than anything else in the world. What would you have to say to Him in return? Remember, it’s just you and God present and He wants to hear your heart. What would you say? I remember at one time at a marriage retreat, couples were asked to find a spot where just the two of you could be alone with absolutely no distractions. That kind of alone time is what I’m thinking of with God. I live on a ranch with almost 1000 acres of land. There are places I could visit and talk out loud to God without anyone else thinking that I must have lost my senses. That’s the kind of alone time where I believe one could pour out their heart to God. Perhaps you’ve seen Him in the Word as you meditated on it today; perhaps in a song; perhaps in the beauty of the outdoors; perhaps a beautiful animal – one of His wonders, just ran in front of you; or perhaps your mind reflected back on the love of God, and/or how He touched you during a recent life event. Friends, our God is always present, and I believe He is just waiting for us to praise Him for His amazing greatness, if only we will separate ourselves from the busyness of life and allow our hearts and minds to connect with our Creator. Although a church service, or a sermon may cause us to focus closely on God, it will not reach inside, open our hearts and open our mouths to speak lovingly to our Lord. Allow these words of David to reinvigorate your heart, soul and mind and cause you to focus on your Maker. Take time away from every distraction and get alone with God. Tell Him how you feel about Him, for He is so worthy of our praise, our love and our affection. Nothing is more important, dear friends!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, how can we say thanks for the things You have done for us? How can we love You near as much as You love us? How can we give to our Master who has everything? Yet You loved us enough to sacrifice Your one and only Son for our salvation. You have also prepared a place for us to spend eternity with You and Your Father for all eternity! Praise God that in spite of our inadequacies, yet You love us anyway, and You have given us life itself to enjoy while here on earth. Thank You for who You are, and for all You do and show to us precious Father. May we show love and appreciation to You in every way and as frequently as our hearts could imagine. In Jesus’ name, 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!

LOVE – What It Is and What It’s Not

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Love, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-06-14
WRITTEN AT: Jensen Beach, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
TRANSLATION: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

BIBLE TEXT: 4 Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. 5 It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. 6 It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. 8 Love never comes to an end….

APPLICATION: I will endeavor to share a comparison between the list of items taught by Paul to help us discern good habits of loving each other vs things that normally create a sense of pretense – a false pretense.
What love is: Patient; Kind; Happy about the truth; Never stops – being patient, believing in others, hoping, nor giving up on people we love; Love never ends.
What Love is not: Jealous; Sing its own praises; Arrogant; Rude; Selfish (doesn’t think of itself); Irritable; Keeping track of others’ wrongs; Being happy with injustices done to others;
One of the things that I have always found helpful in my Christian walk, is to keep a list of the negative aspects of something front and foremost as a reminder to me. Why? Because when I see any of those negative things sneaking into my life or my character, then I realize that I must seek the face of God immediately to help me overcome that bad characteristic and instead seek to do the things that God desires of me. I believe that you will recognize when either of the items in the second list is happening in your marriage or relationship, for things are not really at its best in your home. Something needs work, or correcting. I believe you will also see that homes and/or relationships are broken when one of the habits from the second list goes unnoticed or ignored by the individuals. Friends, when we surrender our life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, we commit to being obedient to His will, and we surrender our own will to the will and design of our new Master. Similarly, when we commit our lives to our spouse, we promise each other that we will set aside our selfish desires and we will love that person as ordained by God in His Word – just like our Scripture dictates today. Let’s try to remember that God’s will is for us to live and love like Jesus did, and to follow His commands as He shared through His Word. When we take things into our own hands, we screw things up. Is it any wonder why we fail in so many ways to love another creation of God? The first few words of verse 8 had a lasting impact on me – Love never ends. So many times we have heard about ‘love turning to hate’, for when we can’t have our own way in love, often we will turn to revenge, and that leads to actions that totally aggravates the other person and often leads to hatred. Friends, the example set by Jesus Christ is that: love leads to sacrifice; love will continue even if the other party rejects us; love is unconditional, meaning that one will love even if they are not loved in return, in the way they feel is necessary. Questions may sometimes arise in your mind about the love of the other person for you, but it is your responsibility to ensure that your love is persistent and everlasting. Only you can decide in your heart to love someone Jesus’ way, no matter how much others try to persuade you to do it ‘their way’.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Love never fails. It didn’t fail in the way Jesus loves us, and I will claim today to love others just as Jesus loves me, God being my helper.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for creating us to love one another the way You demonstrated true love to us. Thank You for having Your servant Paul detail in Your Word how we should love. May we examine ourselves and determine in our heart to follow Your example. Loving others in total sincerity leads to a happy and satisfied life that undoubtedly pleases You, for You created us to be just like You – including Your devotion to love us in spite of our efforts to make sure that no one loves us. Forgive us Lord when we so easily assume the characteristics of this wicked and sinful world. Your ways and Your teachings are perfect. Help us to aim for that same perfection that You intended when you placed us here in our current situation, for we want to look, sound and love just like You. 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!

Sacrificial Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Love, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Sacrifice, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-04-11
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 12:1-2
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way.2 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.

APPLICATION: It seems like mankind is designed to try and return a favor when they feel like someone went out of their way to bless them in some way. In our Scripture, Paul reminds us that Jesus did something for us on Calvary that cost Him His life. God had demanded animal and other sacrifices from our ancestors for the forgiveness of their sin, but He later decided to send His very own Son so that He might not only live among us, but: Showed us how to love unconditionally; He not only taught us everything that God had given Him to share with us, but also demonstrated being a mouthpiece for His Father, and showing us how to live in a way that would be pleasing to the Father. Over the years, our forefathers decided to set aside certain days for us to celebrate: the birth of Jesus – Christmas; a day to remember what Jesus did on Calvary for us – a true sacrifice, because He could have called ten thousand angels to protect Him from the evil men that sought to kill Him – Good Friday; the day that we would celebrate the resurrected Jesus – Easter; and a day each week that we would set aside to worship our resurrected Lord! I wonder, what might we sacrifice, in return for the sacrifices of Jesus our Lord, by actively participating in the above days set aside for us? Jesus desired that the cup of punishment, that occurred that first Good Friday, be taken away from Him. But He quickly snapped out of that thought by submitting to the will of His Father, even if it meant a deep embarrassment as He was arrested, charged, beaten, marched through the city streets and hung on a cross in a public display that led everyone to believe that He was helpless. Jesus knew that His commitment to the Father, and His sacrifice in surrender to the wicked men of His day, was for the eternal benefit of all mankind. ‘Not my will, but thine be done,’ were the words Jesus uttered to His Father. When you fail to sacrifice of yourself daily, weekly or on the above mentioned special days, what do you suppose Jesus might be seeing or thinking of your commitment to Him? Whose will are you submitting to, yours or that of the Father? Remember, without a second thought, you will submit to the will of someone you love and are committed to!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus loved us so much that He gave up everything and was crucified on a cruel, rugged, cross for our sin. Although we could never repay the debt He paid, our willingness to sacrifice the desires of this world would go a long ways in showing our appreciation for what Jesus did at Calvary.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, we could never adequately say thanks, nor offer to repay You for what You did for us at Calvary. Because Your love was pure, You never demanded repayment, but Lord I pray that my readers, listeners, family and Christian friends, would never consider our opportunities to worship, or serve, You as a ’sacrifice’ of our time, fun, activities, etc. Father, You sacrificially gave us Your very best – Your precious Son. Please help us to examine our hardened hearts the next time we find excuses that would cause us to miss opportunities to return thanks to You. In not sacrificing our time, efforts and money to spend time with You, and/or Your people who gather to worship You, might be an indication that You are not as valuable in our lives, and we are to You. Please forgive us for our lack of commitment, and help us to rededicate ourselves to sacrifice everything this world has to offer, so that we may spend time dedicated to You. Help us to seek Your will for our lives, and not our own selfish and prideful will. 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!

Work At ‘Peace’ and ‘Holiness’

On By Ed AlgreenIn Getting Along, Holiness, Love, Obedience, PeaceLeave a comment

Saturday, 2021-10-04

Bible Reference: Hebrews 12:14
Translation: The New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text:  14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

APPLICATION: I saw a greeting card that read “Short on words, but loooong on best wishes!” I found this verse to be short on words, but packed with a powerful message for us today! God’s inspired Word is warning us that living at peace with everyone and living a holy life before our Lord, does not come easy or perhaps ‘natural’ to us, but are two things necessary for the follower of Christ. Our natural tendency is to sin, therefore it is challenging for anyone to get along with us, or for us to accept everyone the way they are, to love them, and live at peace with them. In this chapter of Hebrews we are being taught to listen to God. We have been shown in this New Testament book that our ancestors accomplished a lot in faith, believing in, and depending on, the power of God. We are therefore challenged to call on, listen to, and depend on God to help us accomplish everything that He has commanded of us. In this particular command, I would dare say that God has proven Himself powerful, and able, over and over. He proved His love for us in ways that we would never have to, for He sacrificed His life for us, while the world hated Him, mocked Him, spat on Him and crucified Him. So I believe you will agree that He definitely knows all about how challenging it will be for us to ‘love’ someone who despises us, or may even hate us. So friends, when we are commanded to ‘Work at It’, be comforted in knowing that we don’t have to do this alone. For Jesus promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us – that means that He is always there for us. Therefore part of our working on these commands, must include humbling ourselves before the Master and seeking His help. Furthermore, I am convinced that my loving Jesus would never command something of us that would be impossible for He and us to achieve. We gladly work at being our best in our jobs, in our families, in our marriages and in our relationships. As an obedient servant, we must also ‘Work at’ being holy in our lifestyle so that the world will know to whom we belong. Also, we must determine in our own hearts to live at peace with each other as children of the ‘Prince of Peace’. We must ‘Work at It’ with all of our being and with the help of the King, Jesus our Lord.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our time here on earth is short, and we can therefore not afford to procrastinate on ‘Working At’ being all that You demand of us in Your Word. Holiness begets holiness, so if we are truly a son of the Holy God, then we are to represent that holiness in our everyday life. For one to meet a son, there should be good enough representation that they would tell the world that they have truly known the Father. Lord, may it be so in my life today, and may You fill the hearts and lives of all my readers and listeners that are willing to live obedient lives in conformity with Your will. Shine through us today Lord Jesus, so that our friends might see Jesus. For I ask these things in and through the precious name of Jesus, 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!

The Effects Of Your Sin

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Live in peace, Love, Love others, Love your Neighbor, Needs, Peace, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2021-09-05
WRITTEN AT: Sebring, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Joshua 22:16-18
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 16 All of the Lord’s people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the Lord by building that altar. Why are you rebelling against him? 17 Wasn’t our people’s sin at Peor terrible enough for you? The Lord punished us by sending a horrible sickness that killed many of us, and we still suffer because of that sin. 18 Now you are turning your backs on the Lord again. If you don’t stop rebelling against the Lord right now, he will be angry at the whole nation. 

APPLICATION: When disaster strikes, the impact of that terrible time will often stick with us much longer than we care to even think about. In Peor, the Israelites saw many of their leaders killed, and also many of their own people – over 24,000 of them. Because of their unfaithfulness to God, that resulted in them creating idols and worshipping them, there was a time of desperation and mourning because of the loss of life and hurt throughout their camp, even though they were not necessarily a part of the evil they were doing. But just as we try to shy away from things that caused previous hurts, the hearts of the Israelites were immediately affected when they heard of some of their fellow tribes building another altar. They had already decided that they would go to war over this infraction, but before they did, they wanted to try and work out the problem in love first. So they sent a contingent of leaders to speak with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. There are a few lessons for us in this story: 1). The sin that we commit will often have a detrimental effect on others. Stay true to God and to each other by considering everyone before you go out and commit crimes that will affect them; 2). Nip the problem in the bud immediately. Don’t let it fester and allow you to build animosity against your neighbor. Remember, it is always good to consider the heart of an innocent Brother in a situation before forging forward with your own selfish desires. Loved ones can and will be impacted by your selfish and angry motives; 3). Always try to resolve matters diplomatically and in love before you start a war that you will soon regret.
Notice that the contingent not only satisfied their own minds about what they thought was a huge issue, but they were able to return to their own tribes and speak favorably about their neighboring tribes. It is always better to be the encourager and peacemaker, rather than the agitator who arouses the anger of those opposed to a situation to which they don’t have all the facts. I learned as a child that you will either through gas on a fire already inflamed, or you could through water to extinguish the fire. For as much as lies within you, be a peacemaker rather than one who creates a war that will impact many other innocent members of your group, family and/or friends.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The Israelites were ready for war against their neighboring tribesmen, but they did all within their power to avoid war and death. Often our actions could create war, but by the grace of God, may we all strive for peace and goodwill in order to protect the innocent.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I believe that we were created to live in peace and with hearts filled with love, like our Maker. Please intervene when the evil one interferes and raises up anger in our hearts. Help us to always stand for what is right without ever building animosity for the one destined to do life by following their own inclination. May the lesson learned from the Israelites who tried to stop, what appeared to be evil in the making, be an ongoing example for Your children today. May the world see that Jesus is alive and well, because they see You at work in the lives of Your children. 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!