Category: Sin

Finding Peace and Healing Through Prayer

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

DATE POSTED
Wednesday, March 5, 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 it in your Bible or click Jeremiah 14:19-22 to read it in the New Living Translation (NLT).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
As I read this Scripture today, I was shaken by the parallel I see in our world today. We seem to have one disaster after the other and we quickly go in search of things that must have provoked such an occurrence. There’s often a lot of name throwing for who may have caused it, and there’s a lot of physical attributes we look for that may have contributed to the issue. But how often do we stop and seek the face of God in deep regret for our sin, and the sin of our forefathers? Do we see our churches calling members together in prayer to humble themselves before almighty God, asking for His forgiveness for our sin? Fellow believers, we must remember that God is probably angrier at His saved children for their ongoing submission to sin and the evil of our land, than He is at non-believers who have yet to learn about Him and His teachings. There’s no time for us to throw blame on anyone, or anything. When we look into the face of a holy, righteous and sinless God, is it not easy to realize where we have fallen short? We live in a sinful world among sinful people, so we know we have not been perfect, as only God can do. Notice that Jeremiah and his people were expecting peace and healing, because after all, they and us – we serve a God who can do all of that. But when no peace or healing came, they looked inward, and I believe that this is where many of us are challenged, for we reach our hands out expecting a lot from God. But are we worthy of those gifts, or even a second look from God? Notice how Jeremiah remembered to include his ancestors in his prayer. Have you ever stopped to think about the attributes of your life that you acquired from hanging out with your parents, grandparent and possibly those before them? Praise God some of those attributes are godly in nature, and many times have help to lead us in the right way, but we cannot fool ourselves, there are things that have served to lead us astray from the will of God also. Let’s be transparent with God, for He already knows the very hairs on our head, He knows our very thoughts, so He truly knows the sources of our sin and sin nature. I loved the though by Jeremiah in vs 21 where he pleaded with God to purify and bless him and his people for His own sake, if for no other reason. Think about that friends, God may think the whole world of us as His children, but when we sin, we disappoint Him. So, we could only imagine that He might not see enough value in blessing us because of our wayward thinking and actions, but as we consider who made us, and who set this world in motion for us to enjoy, we might easily allude to the fact that His name would be lifted up if others saw His blessings outpoured through us. Why not join me in praying at all times that God might be glorified in everything that we say or do, for whatever we do it will only matter if it’s all about Him, dear ones! May someone see and accept Jesus today because of some word or action they see in and through us.

PRAYER
Precious Lord, thanks for the reminder of how important it is to look internally before ever raising a finger to blame others for our consequences. Jeremiah seemed to have quickly identified that it was the sin of his ancestors and those of he and his people that were the blame for the critical times they were in. Today we seem to blame our neighbor, our boss, the church, the country, our president and anyone else that we are upset with at the time, for the misfortunes that impact us or stand in our way to success and happiness. But Lord God, although You delivered your people out of Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey that You promised to them, it is obvious in our Scripture today that they were still disciplined because of their sin. This is a reminder to us as we seek your righteousness, and as we plead humbly that You show us Your perfect will for our lives. Please nudge us along to live righteously and holy, so that the world will see and know to whom we belong. Be glorified in us, because we are your obedient and righteous children, oh Lord. 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 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!

Embrace Humility: God’s Promise to the Humble

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blinded by Sin, Contrite, Humble, Obedience, Promise, Rewards, Righteous, SinLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Saturday, November 16, 2024, 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 New Living Translation (NLT) and found in Isaiah 66:2-3

THE SCRIPTURE READS
2 My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
3 But those who choose their own ways – delighting in their detestable sins – will not have their offerings accepted…..

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
In our family homes we not only learn what is acceptable behavior to parents, but if they are godly parents, you will also learn what is acceptable to God. Now, over the years I have learned that even the best parents bring along traditions and beliefs from their respective families as well, so I have found that there is no substitute for us to individually build a personal relationship with God so that we could listen to His instructions directly as we meditate on His Word each day. In our Scripture today we can see that God clearly promised the Israelites a reward for their obedience, but a warning to those who chose to ignore His instruction. Let’s look at God’s specific instruction to each of the following positions:
a). Those who have humble and contrite hearts, and tremble at His Word – An individual with a humble heart, will come to the Master empty of any self importance or knowledge, knowing that God is totally supreme, all knowing, and loving. This makes one hungry for what God will instruct them, knowing that it is something they can trust, and that it will be for their own good. One with a contrite heart offers no excuses, and shifts no blame. Remember an old excuse used in our court system by criminals on trial ‘the devil made me do it’! Friends, don’t look around when you approach the throne of God, but rather quickly recognize that you are personally standing before the Creator of all mankind, the earth, and everything in it. This is a time that you want God to see you for who you truly are, not who you wish you could be, or for who you are at work, in your social club, or in this world. Remember, God goes straight for the heart, not for the fluff that everyone else might see or appreciate about you. In my family home, we loved and respected mom, but when dad walked in, we realized that he was the leader of our home and my siblings and I wanted to make sure that he found no fault with our behavior or actions that day. We didn’t literally ‘tremble’ when dad entered, but I believe it is just as God intended in this Scripture: learn to respect, understand, obey and honor the Word of our living God that He made available to us, for knowledge, understanding and guidance all the days of our lives. Many of our national laws were created and implemented, based on the teachings of the Bible, can’t you see the importance of us individually doing the same? THE REWARD: God promised that He would bless Israel if they did the above, and I honestly believe that He will bless us also as we adopt this principles into our lives. Let us strive towards holiness dear friends, and this is fed and achieved through obedience to God and His commands.
b). Those who choose their own ways and delight in their detestable sins – In short, I believe that God is saying that if the Israelites chose to do their own thing and disregard their Creator, then they obviously would see nothing wrong with the sins they had committed, or would commit, and would gloat over their actions before those they governed or came into contact with. There are many we will come into contact with who live out the same lifestyle that God is warning against here. We hear the results of this – ‘if you don’t like my attitude or my ways then move to a different part of town, or to a different job, or even a different church’. They are satisfied with who they have become and they don’t want you, or God, telling them otherwise. BUT, God said that He would not accept their offerings. In the Old Testament this may very well have applied to the many sacrifices/offerings made at the temple for various reasons or sins. Our sacrifices today tend to be the time we sacrifice to attend church occasionally, or the money that we write off against our taxes for giving to a non-profit organization, or even the money that we have our secretary send that big church in town every other month. However, when we do these things with a heart that doesn’t meet the standards mentioned in (a) above, God said that He would not accept them. Ever give someone a gift, and later found that they left it on their desk for anyone to pickup and assume, or they threw it in the trash can? If so, you may have just caught a glimpse of how God feels when we throw material things at Him instead of our heart, mind and soul.
I pray that you will conclude from the above what it is that God is looking for and expecting from you, then ask Him to help you overcome the constraints of the Evil one so that He could pour out His blessings on you. I offer good avenues for help in my below Footnote, should you require help in achieving my suggestion and plea.

PRAYER
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for creating us in Your own image. Although You created us with a specific purpose in mind, yet we have strayed to our own liking and subjected ourselves to the Evil one and his wicked and perverse ways, and they are contrary to Your ways. When our kids do this, we quickly conclude that they must have a ‘devil’ in them, yet it is almost impossible for us to discern the distance we have allowed ourselves to stray from the design and likeness of You, our Maker. Please forgive us Lord and constantly challenge us with our weaknesses so that we may search out the One in whom we can place our faith and trust for strength and power in overcoming our sin and disregard each and every day. You reminded the Israelites of what You require of them, and I’m sure that many will look at that and conclude how awful it was for those evil people to ignore the plea of God, without ever performing a self-examination and seeing our own many faults. I acknowledge that I have strayed from You in many ways on many occasions, so I ask that You begin a new work in me to help me identify those things that separate us and bring contention between us. My readers are much the same, I believe, so I ask that you complete a great work in the lives of ever nationality group reading this devotional, just as You did with the Israelites. Draw us close dear Lord, so that we may present ourselves daily with a humble and contrite heart as we read, respect, acknowledge and obey Your Word. Also, may we, every day, analyze our relationship and renew a right relationship with us, as necessary, so You may be glorified in every way through us. 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!

Cautious That These Things Won’t Sneak back In

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

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-07-18
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Ephesians 4:29-32
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 29 When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you. 30 And don’t make the Holy Spirit sad. God gave you his Spirit as proof that you belong to him and that he will keep you safe until the day he makes you free. 31 Never be bitter, angry, or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you through Christ.

OBSERVATION: It is one thing for us to pay close attention to the qualities God, through His servant Paul, taught us earlier in this chapter, but I would dare say that we must also be very careful not to let those old sinful qualities find their way back into our lives either. After all, we have since accepted Jesus as Lord, and invited the Holy Spirit to live within us. Imagine the hurt and disappointment that comes with reintroducing our old habits and attitudes into the presence of a holy God. Meditate with me friend, as we allow the Word of God to speak to us today.

APPLICATION: As a child of God, we are to turn away from the sin that so easily devoured us before Christ, and instead make every endeavor to live the new life that God teaches us throughout His Word. It would be awesome if, from the day we accept Jesus as Lord, that we look forward to a life free of sin and filled with the awesome qualities of our Maker. However, we should never be naive enough to believe that the sin, hatred and ugliness of Satan and his demons that is happening all around us, will escape us. So although I know that God has the power to keep those who accept Him as Lord, safe and free from this world and its leader, yet I know that God has chosen to allow us free will while still here on earth. I believe this places a determination on us to stay true to the One in whom we have placed our faith and trust. I’m not sure how many ‘perfect’ ones might be out there and might even read this devotional, but according to the Word of God, there is only One who is perfect – Jesus, the Christ. Therefore, as long as we reside here on earth, and as long as we are surrounded by those who do not recognize our God, then I believe that some of their sin will drip on to us and may even cause us to stray from the Master at times. Although the list shown in verse 31 above may seem negative, and nothing that believers need worry about, I would strongly recommend that we keep this list in prominent view as a reminder. Any time that we feel our relationship with God is becoming slightly distant, check this list and ensure that some of our old ways are not sneaking back into our Holy Spirit filled lives. If it is, nip it in the bud immediately by asking God to forgive you and cleanse you of the distraction and sin, and to give you wisdom and strength on how to stay the course living totally dedicated to Him. Whatever you do, please don’t brush off the intrusion as minor, or slight, or easy enough for you to handle. God alone is the destroyer of all sin, not you. You are incapable my friend. If you still struggle with the ability to overcome, please seek an accountability partner – another Christian Brother (if you’re a man), or a Christian Sister (if you are a woman). If you are reading this devotional and can’t make sense of this, because you don’t know God, please, please, please, read my Footnote and seek to know Jesus personally. God is THE only answer to sin. Of course, I would be happy to hear from you and pray with you over this matter also, so feel free to email me.

PRAYER: It’s really easy to look back and see where You brought us from oh God. Thank You from the bottom of our hearts. While still here on earth, we see sin all around us, and way too often it tries to make its way back into our lives also, for we act up and treat others much like Paul was teaching against in our Scripture today. Please forgive us Lord, and teach us Your ways – each and every day of our lives. Please help us to quickly identify sin and do everything possible to distance ourselves from sin. As Your child, and as one who has the Holy Spirit residing inside of me, I am determined to serve You until the end of time, God being my strength and helper. Please touch the lives of those who are guilty of what is warned about above. Help us all to be pure in our relationship with You, so that unbelievers might be attracted to You. 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!

When God Leaves us Alone

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Healing, Sin, SinnerLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-03-18
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

Bible Reference: Romans 1:28-30
Translation: New Century Version (NCV)

Bible Text: 28 People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do. 29 They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip 30 and say evil things about each other.

OBSERVATION: I thank God that we can turn to His Word for every situation in our lives. Based on this passage of scripture, it is evident that Paul faced the same evil with the Romans as many pastors do today. I would dare say that one of the most challenging things about any job involving coworkers, or just people in general, is the matter of bad attitudes, jealousy, gossip, fighting, lying and just thinking the worst of each other. The exact characteristics that Paul spoke of! So let’s look closer at what Paul said was the root cause of these problems.

APPLICATION: I believe that every person alive knows of God, and knows of His power, His love, and His creation. For some, it begins with them having a desire to know more of God, learn His teachings, and a strong desire to know Him more intimately. For others, they often choose to know Him from a distance and just leave Him out of their lives until needed. This is very evident today for we are suffering from declining church attendance because people have lost the desire to know God more intimately. Friends, God will not force Himself on us, however He is available to us if we seek Him and have a desire to draw close to Him. As we turn away from Him and He lifts His hand of love and protection from us, we assume more of the characteristics and attitudes of the world, such as those listed in our Scripture. So what we really face today is like Paul faced back in his day, we the people, need God in a personal way in our individual lives each and every day. More of God will result in less of the world and its evil characteristics. There is an old hit song titled something like “All we Need is Love”. I believe that the formula for much of today’s worldly characteristics that have crept upon us, is a plea to God along the lines of the popular hit song that may have the title – “All we Need is God”. Paul presented this thought for us in the scripture written under the inspiration of God, so that we may realize what is lacking when we notice the decline in moral values and Godly attributes that tend to bring us down as a people. For this relationship with God idea impacts each and every one of us. For those who work, you can see it in the attitudes and actions of coworkers. For those who shop, you can see it in the store employees and in the shoppers. Everywhere we turn we can see, like Paul, what impacts an individual’s character. Friends, it is critical that we awaken ourselves from our sinful, sleepy stupor and get our lives in line with God and His perfect will for our lives. As we take in more of God, we will replace our ungodly attitudes and character with the wonderful message of the cross and our loving Savior. I would strongly urge each one to look to the Master, our Creator, the one and only Jesus Christ, while there is still time. Life is more challenging that any of us could handle alone, we need Jesus, friends. As a reality check, we must look at our lives and insure that we are an image of God and not of this sinful world in which we live.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, we are such weak examples of You, because we have allowed so much of this sinful world in. Please forgive me for not doing more to saturate my life with You and Your divine qualities. Thank You for reminding me of this today. Please guide me into Your way, and please touch the hearts of Your children reading this devotional today so that we may become stronger witnesses and soldiers of Yours here on this earth. Lord, we want to do Your will. We need You in our lives – more than ever before. We can’t even imagine what our destiny would be if You turned Your face from us. We’re Yours Lord, and we want to be the best representative that we could be. We need You to guide and direct us, please? I ask all this in Your precious and holy name, Lord Jesus, our Healer and Sustainer of all life. AMEN!

What Hinders You From Knowing Christ Intimately?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Garbage, Overcomer, SinLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-06-05

Bible Reference: Philippians 3:8-10
Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Bible Text:  8 Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ 9 and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. 10 All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life.

OBSERVATION: In our effort to reach the finish line well, we will face many temptations and the ‘filth’ and ‘garbage’ of this world on a daily basis. If we know the Master, then we are plugged into the powersource that will help us overcome the ‘garbage’ that may tend to hold us back. This is worth taking a few minutes to meditate on before God!

APPLICATION:  Some of us are living ‘on top of the world’ – having the time of our lives with: great jobs; awesome friends; lots of ‘things’ for entertainment and/or enjoyment. However, there are some who are struggling to make it each day because they struggle to enjoy anything in life. At the foot of the cross, both types of individuals come with the same problem if they have yet to accept Jesus as Lord, for they come to the cross laden in sin. Believe it or not, Paul (aka Saul) was the chiefest of sinners in his day, yet God used him to show us through this scripture that just as he surrendered, or gave up everything to follow Christ, so will we have to give up the sin in our lives. Often this involves the things that have always led us to sin, or distracted us from knowing God. This challenged me, and I am sharing this with you so that you may be challenged, to think about this also. What is there in our lives that hinders our relationship with God? Is it time to throw out the ‘garbage’ so that our minds and our lives might be freed of the pull of sin? This could be hindering your acceptance of the Lord, or if we know Him already, this could be distracting and/or hindering our intimacy with Him. I want you to commit with me, as Paul did in verse 10, that from this very moment in life, we will reach for the finish line, to stand before God without any fear of shame, or rejection, or penalty from Him. The distractions that we will face getting from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ are the sins that we have to watch out for, and avoid, each day. Will you join me in going before Jesus each and every day to ask for His strength, His guidance and His power to overcome the ‘garbage’ that will try to trip us up each day? For we want to see Jesus! We want to know Him and the awesome power that raised Him to life! Let us therefore run this race of life with God at the center of all we do. Let us lean on His awesome power to help us stay ‘garbage free’ and strive to serve Him faithfully each and every day!

PRAYER: Lord You have allowed us to stay on this earth so that we might represent You and witness to others who need Jesus. You know all about the ‘garbage’ that we have allowed to enter our lives that really stinks and repels the sinner from wanting to know You. We are ashamed that we have been so weak and ineffective. I was convinced in Your Word today that others, in the heart of a ‘garbage’ pile, really don’t want more ‘garbage’, for they are looking for a way out, a cleansing, a new and better life. Lord Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth and the Life for those looking for a new life. Thank You for opening my eyes to this truth over 40 years ago. Please help me to keep my eyes and my life fixed on You and determined to avoid the ‘garbage’ that will easily and quickly pollute my life. Please touch the lives of my readers with a renewed desire to know You and to live for You in a closer and more dedicated way. May Christians today truly represent the God of their Christianity and fight off the distractions, or the ‘garbage’, that will try to trip them up and distract their walk with You. Please touch the hearts of those that do not know You, with a softened heart and a strong determination to dump the ‘garbage’ in their lives and refill it with Your holiness, love and compassion. I ask all this in faith, believing in the Son of God, for it is only He that can help us be all that He desires of us. AMEN!

Calling Those Who Know They Are Sinners

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Deliverer, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Humble, Humbleness, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Love your Neighbor, Sin, SinnerLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-05-06

Bible Reference: Mark 2:15-17
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

OBSERVATION: Going into a hospital a doctor will find sick people and know that’s where he/she belongs. Jesus emphasised that He came especially for those who know they are sinners – because they are really in need of a Savior. So if we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we will most lightly be ministering more outside of the church than inside the sanctity of the four walls of our church buildings. How do you do with that Christian Brother/Sister?

APPLICATION: It’s really easy for Christians to hang out with Christians – because we have so much in common, and we feel comfortable that no one will question us, if seen associating with folk of the same belief. Praise God, Jesus was different in this respect. He shows us that if we are to reach the unsaved, and if we are to truly show God’s love to all people, then we had better make ourselves friendly to all. When we look down our noses at folk, we must remember that they have a very hard time looking up to us and accepting anything that we may have to say to them. Jesus came so that sinners might recognize their need for a Savior and feel welcomed in coming to Him for forgiveness of their sins. As Christians, we are to be Christ followers and therefore follow the lead that He displayed while here on this earth. How are we doing? Do we show love to the sometimes unlovable? Are we humble enough to sit and listen to the deep struggles and concerns of someone that may be deep in sin? Unless we do this, how will they know Jesus?

PRAYER: Father, I pray that You will open my heart today and make me aware of those around me that need You as Savior. Make me very aware that although they may not look like me, or they may not follow the same guidelines of living that I follow, and they may not even attend, or perhaps never attended, church, please help me to see them and You see them. Please allow me to present myself in way that they will see Your love, acceptance and willingness to listen and help them to overcome their shortcomings and see a better way – a way that leads to Jesus! Help me to set my selfish desires and ideals aside so that You may shine through me today! Help to never forget that You reached far down to lift me up from my sin and in my time of deepest need. There is none like You Heavenly Father. Please help me be obedient to Your will in doing Your work, so that others may know and believe. AMEN!

God Loves the Repentant Heart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Heart, SinLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-04-01

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Savior Who Is Intolerant To Sin

On By Ed AlgreenIn Like Jesus, Pleasing to God, SinLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Wednesday, 2017-10-25
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Psalm 68:19-21 (NIV)

Text:

  19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
    who daily bears our burdens.
20 Our God is a God who saves;
    from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.
21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
    the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
OBSERVATION:
David found peace in knowing that it was unnecessary for him to constantly fight his enemies and those who showed hatred towards God, for he knew that vengeance belongs to God. Not a bad lesson for us to find peace in today, so let’s dig in to how we may apply this lesson….
APPLICATION:
Way too often Christians miss many opportunities to enjoy God’s blessings, because we become so caught up in concocting ways that we could get back at that person who didn’t do or say what we wanted them to do or say. Friends, David realized in today’s Scripture that vengeance is God’s. In another scripture God tells us that ‘vengeance is mine’. I find it more than challenging to keep myself in tuned with God’s Word and obeying His commands, especially in being the instrument that He could use without being embarrassed of my words, actions and evil thoughts. Why would I add to that the additional sin of trying to take the ‘speck’ out of my brother’s eye? May I suggest that God’s Word indicates that we are to love even the brother or sister that dispitefully uses us, and to pray God’s richest blessings on them. I believe you will find it virtually impossible to hate that person on whom you are praying God’s rich blessings on. In fact, from experience I can tell you, that it is strangely amazing how things begin to clear up between the two of you. I’m sure that it’s the amazing touch of God on both individuals, because even though we clearly see the wrong in the other person, it is very challenging to remove that ‘board’ from our own eye long enough to see what God sees in us. Unfortunately, most issues are caused by two or more individuals and not just one. There’s a song that really sums up my thoughts today: ‘Open the eyes of my heart Lord’! Please remember to always ask God to help you see your heart first, before taking the needs of another before Him.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, most of our issues with others, begin with ourselves. Please give us boldness and humbleness of heart to first look inward for cleansing before we try to get someone else straight. Lord, You are King over all things and all people who would allow Your sovereignty. Please begin a cleansing in my own heart and life, so that I might be a witness of Your purity and love. May You rule and reign in every part of my life. Please also impact the lives of each person that reads this blog, for these blessings I give You praise oh Lord. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Consequences For Our Sin

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, Obedient, SinLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Friday, 2017-10-06
SCRIPTURE

From:

 1 Samuel 15:27-29 (ERV)

Text:

 27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught Samuel’s robe. The robe tore. 28 Samuel said to Saul, “In this same way the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today. He has given the kingdom to one of your friends, a man who is a better person than you. 29 The one who lives forever, the God of Israel, does not lie and will not change his mind. He is not like a man who is always changing his mind.”
OBSERVATION:
Saul sinned against God, and the very man who crowned him king, had to go and confront him about his sin. In obedience to God, Samuel went to Saul and challenged him on what he had done. There is a great lesson for us in verse 28, for God decided not to accept Saul’s apologies and let him remain king, so I believe that we have a lot to consider in this Scripture today…
APPLICATION:
I’m sure you have noticed that some people are quick to say they are sorry, and some will even add to their apology, that they will never do the same thing again. While it is exceptional that you would agree to reconcile with another individual, this Scripture is teaching us that a mistake is something that should never happen again. however when we know deep inside that we are disobeying the law or a commitment that we have made to the contrary, then we are deliberately sinning and have no intention of trying to change our ways. In return, wouldn’t it really hurt to hear God say that you have sinned, and although He will forgive you, you cannot serve in the position He ordained you for? Add to that, God has already found someone better than you? Oh my, that would hurt to the innermost parts of your body and soul! Friends, I believe the message in this for us, is that if we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior and seek to serve Him, we will seek to follow His ways. When we continue to act as we’ve always done and make our own decisions in spite of what we feel God is saying to us, then we need to go back to step one and make sure that we actually accepted Jesus as Lord, or did we just go through the motions. It is unfortunate, but I believe that in the same way we tend to give God orders in our prayer life, we also commit sin with the intent of pleasing friends, and hoping to immediately afterwards tell God you are sorry. Whose side are you on friend? If you claim Jesus as you Lord, then His Holy Spirit will work in your life to prompt you of right and wrong. You won’t just continue sinning and then run back to God on a regular basis asking for His forgiveness for you ‘taking the wheel’ again. Remember, God is not a robot, He wants to have a personal relationship with you and I, so that we might learn His ways and do His will. He wants others to see Jesus when they talk with us, or in response to the way we act with them. How are you doing with this friend? Let me recommend that you concentrate more on ways that you can please Jesus and be more like Him, rather than worry about the consequences for your sin! For as you become more like Jesus, the things of this world will grow strangely dim!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, we are a work in process. For as long as we are here on this earth, we will be impacted by its evil thoughts and deeds – things that we used to do. Please touch Your children today, starting with me, to have such a glow on our faces that reflect the joy of the Lord in our hearts, that the lost will recognize Jesus in us and want to know Him personally. Help us to not stray from the only way You have paved for us, so that we will not be a stumbling block to others. You are our King, Lord, and as Your humble servants, we want to serve You with everything we have, or can gain from You. Please have Your will and way with us even today, so that You may be glorified, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Heeding The Warnings

On By Ed AlgreenIn Eternity, Sin, Warning, Warning SignsLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Thursday, 2017-09-07
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Luke 21:34-36 (TLB)

Text:

  34-35 “Watch out! Don’t let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don’t let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world. 36 Keep a constant watch. And pray that if possible you may arrive in my presence without having to experience these horrors.”
OBSERVATION:
In the preceding verses Jesus shared some of the signs that He will give us as indicators announcing His return to earth. However, I believe that Jesus knew beforehand how distracted and over-committed we would become here on earth. There are songs written by great Christian writers that remind us to ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’; ‘It Is Well With My Soul’ and many more. The bottom line, is that we know Jesus is coming back to take His church on home to glory. We know that He will give us indicators of His return, and we know that only those who are ready to meet Him, will actually be caught up in the air together with Him. Let’s look closer into how seriously we take all of this….
APPLICATION:
I’m sure that most of us can recall times that we were so engrossed in something that we totally missed an appointment, or perhaps never heard our loved one talking to us. Often times, devices are now taking more of our time than face-to-face conversations, so we are getting worse at ignoring others when they are talking to us. In our Scripture today, we are being reminded by Jesus that His Word is true and it is super accurate, so we are to listen to it and enjoy it’s benefits, or bear the brunt of disobeying the commands of God through His Word. Some of my readers will be in a similar position as I am right now, where we are being told about a large hurricane that will pass pretty close to us. We could be careless and do nothing, or we could take the warnings seriously and protect our lives from the possible onslaught of this huge, powerful hurricane. Our Scripture today gives us the warning signs to look for that will indicate the return of Jesus. Let me encourage you to be sure now that your life is under the control of our Savior and Lord. This will not only give you a desire to help others along the way, but it will give you a sweet sense of anticipation about the return of Jesus, when we hear and see the signs happening. You have a choice friends. You may not have seen the signs spoken of in the Word of God, but God has already made the provisions for us to secure our eternity with Him. Just like shopping for special occasions, often we will procrastinate until the very last moment, however in the case of Jesus’ return, He told us in His Word that not even He knows the day or the hour when that will happen. I didn’t want to take the chance of Jesus returning unexpectedly and find me unprepared, so I surrendered my life to Him back in 1976. Since that time I have enjoyed learning more about Him; experiencing His rich blessings; and sharing the joy that fills my heart, with others! I’m ready to leave this world and be with Him, whenever He makes that call! Friends, if Jesus returns and you are still in procrastination mode, the Word of God declares that your decision will place you in the pit of hell where you will suffer anguish and damnation with your leader, Satan, throughout eternity. If you have money, you probably have it safely secured and invested. Your soul is much more important, why not know that you know where you will spend eternity right now? Carefully read my Footnote and look at the Scriptures recommended for reading, through the link ‘To Know Jesus’. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will either give you that assurance of your salvation, or lead you to the throne of grace to settle your account with Jesus – TODAY!
PRAYER:
Precious Savior, Jesus my Lord! Thank You for loving us enough to sacrifice Your own life as a token of our salvation. Lord thank You for not giving up on us, but instead giving us warnings to help us know the way that You would have us to go and the decisions that are super important to us. You did that for me in the years leading up to 1976, I pray that You will mightily use these words shared in this blog to encourage someone who needs You in their life. We are heeding hurricane warnings at this time, but I truly believe that heeding the warnings from You about decisions that will have an eternal impact, is way more important. May today be the day of decision for all who will read this blog and still unsure of their heavenly position. I earnest pray and ask these things in the name of Jesus, the Christ, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!