Category: Worship

‘True’ Worshipers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Holy Spirit, Truth, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – John 4:23-24): …. true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

THOUGHTS: I wonder if God is finding any ‘true worshipers’ in our corporate worship services each week? I wonder how often during the week God is feeling mocked, because of the filth that we have bottled up inside when we approach Him in personal worship time? According to verse 23 above, God is looking for ‘True’ Worshipers – ones who can worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Therefore let us meditate on this for a moment. God is often referred to by His triune partner – Holy Spirit. He is also referred to several times in the Bible as ‘Truth’. So if God is Spirit, and He is Truth, can mere man ever truly stand before Him and worship Him in recognition for who He is? Can’t you feel the dirtiness of sin, just thinking about that picture? Can’t you just feel the unworthiness of mortal man coming into the presence of a holy and righteous God? But we know that God wants, desires and expects our worship, so how do we deal with this dilemma? True to its form and purpose, the answer is in the Book – the Word of God. In fact in these verses referenced above we are taught how this can be accomplished. We must approach the presence of God as ‘holy’ people – saints. The way this is done is through inviting the Holy Spirit and Truth (as explained above) to enter into our lives. Now remember, God cannot exist where sin is. So before we invite God through His Holy Spirit and Truth to enter, we must first ask Him to cleanse us of all our sin. I know, you’re a Christian and can’t imagine why you would need to ask for forgiveness, right? Friends, Satan is buffeting us with sin from the very moment we open our eyes each day, so I can assure you that as long as we are this side of heaven, we need to seek God’s forgiveness before attempting to enter into His presence, or inviting Him to lead us into a time of personal worship. Do you suppose that this could be the reason why so many are side-tracked in our worship services? How is it with you friend? Please don’t bring the everyday filth and distractions before the throne of our Holy, Righteous and Awesome God. He deserves, and desires that we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth – ‘Holy’ in His sight, and this could only be accomplished when we seek forgiveness of our sin and invite God to fill us with more of Himself.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we come before You each day filled with so much of this world that it must disgust You to see Your children being so brazen as to approach You in such a condition. This is especially true after being reminded in these verses today that You are looking for ‘True’ Worshipers who are prepared to cleanse ourselves of sin and worship You in the power of Your Holy Spirit through the worthy name of Jesus (Truth). Please continue to work on us so that we may always be conscious of our sin and seek cleansing before approaching You in worship. My desire is to please You oh Lord. Please fill my readers and I again today with Your grace, Your mercy and Your forgiveness. For I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

‘True’ Worshipers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Truth, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – John 4:23-24): …. true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

 

THOUGHTS: I wonder if God is finding any ‘true worshipers’ in our corporate worship services each week? I wonder how often during the week God is feeling mocked, because of the filth that we have bottled up inside when we approach Him in personal worship time? According to verse 23 above, God is looking for ‘True’ Worshipers – ones who can worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Therefore let us meditate on this for a moment. God is often referred to by His triune partner – Holy Spirit. He is also referred to several times in the Bible as ‘Truth’. So if God is Spirit, and He is Truth, can mere man ever truly stand before Him and worship Him in recognition for who He is? Can’t you feel the dirtiness of sin, just thinking about that picture? Can’t you just feel the unworthiness of mortal man coming into the presence of a holy and righteous God? But we know that God wants, desires and expects our worship, so how do we deal with this dilemma? True to its form and purpose, the answer is in the Book – the Word of God. In fact in these verses referenced above we are taught how this can be accomplished. We must approach the presence of God as ‘holy’ people – saints. The way this is done is through inviting the Holy Spirit and Truth (as explained above) to enter into our lives. Now remember, God cannot exist where sin is. So before we invite God through His Holy Spirit and Truth to enter, we must first ask Him to cleanse us of all our sin. I know, you’re a Christian and can’t imagine why you would need to ask for forgiveness, right? Friends, Satan is buffeting us with sin from the very moment we open our eyes each day, so I can assure you that as long as we are this side of heaven, we need to seek God’s forgiveness before attempting to enter into His presence, or inviting Him to lead us into a time of personal worship. Do you suppose that this could be the reason why so many are side-tracked in our worship services? How is it with you friend? Please don’t bring the everyday filth and distractions before the throne of our Holy, Righteous and awesome God. He deserves, and desires that we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth – ‘Holy’ in His sight, and this could only be accomplished when we seek forgiveness of our sin and invite God to fill us with more of Himself.

 

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we come before You each day filled with so much of this world that it must disgust You to see Your children being so brazen as to approach You in such a condition. This is especially true after being reminded in these verses today that You are looking for ‘True’ Worshipers who are prepared to cleanse ourselves of sin and worship You in the power of Your Holy Spirit through the worthy name of Jesus (Truth). Please continue to work on us so that we may always be conscious of our sin and seek cleansing before approaching You in worship. My desire is to please You oh Lord. Please fill my readers and I again today with Your grace, Your mercy and Your forgiveness. For I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

 

 

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

Filled With Awe!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Recognize God, Stand in awe, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – Exodus 14:31): 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

THOUGHTS: I believe that God moves just as mightily in our midst today, as He did for the Israelites when the Egyptians were chasing after them. For you see, anytime we witness, or hear of, a saint of God being healed; or miraculously protected in a terrible accident; or hear of God’s children being saved during a hurricane; these are only examples of miracles that occur in and around us that can only be explained as the hand of God being upon us. So as I meditated on this verse, I wasn’t as much in doubt of God being at work today, as He was with the Israelites, as I was in wondering if perhaps we have become so fast-paced that we hardly stop to recognize and praise God for His wondrous power in us, or in His children with whom we worship or rub shoulders with every day. I wonder if we may have just forgotten to program time for this important aspect into our Christian walk. We very easily ‘blow up’ the bad things that happen all around us, but how often do we stop to celebrate with a Brother or a Sister over an obvious miracle that has occurred in their lives? Part of fellowshipping together as believers, is that we grow spiritually as we celebrate God’s mighty works among our body of believers. It seems like so often our corporate worship services are so programed and rushed, that we tend to meet societies need of getting together for a very limited and prescribed time, but within that programmed time, do we take time to truly remember and/or recognize all that God has done, and is doing among us, then actually celebrate God’s very current mighty works? When last have we stood in awe at the works of God? The Israelites didn’t wait until the next Lord’s Day to be led in praise and worship, for the scripture says that they were filled with awe and placed their faith in the Lord and His servant Moses. Perhaps we’ll see more people place their faith in the Lord, if they think that God’s children have a current, sincere and meaningful relationship with the Savior they are trying to promote. I am of the impression that this corporate worship service took place right on the banks of the Red Sea as they saw God’s mighty works unfolding. I bet that was some kind of awesome worship service that day – unplanned, unorchestrated and no clock watching for a given finish time. As indicated in the next chapter, a new song of deliverance was immediately penned with the expressions of the praise and worship from the people reacting to God’s mighty works! How would that song turn out if it was written at one of our worship services today? What words would you attribute to the song, based on your daily experiences with the King of all kings?

PRAYER: Lord, You are so good to us! You are patient, yet kind enough to work miracles in our lives every day. Please help us to open our spiritual eyes to see the glory of all that You accomplish in and through us, and help us to respond with due honor and praise to Your mighty works. May those who look at us for proof of our relationship with You truly see a child filled with awe over the mighty works You accomplish each day that impact us and draw us closer to You. May they be drawn to You and seek to know You in a very personal and meaningful way. Be glorified in us today Lord, as we strive to recognize You in all that You do. May we again today stand in awe of You and Your mighty works. I love You Lord, and ask all this in the mighty name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Hindrances to Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiven, Righteous, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy-To-Read Version – Hebrews 9:13-14): 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a cow were sprinkled on those who were no longer pure enough to enter the place of worship. The blood and ashes made them pure again—but only their bodies. 14 So surely the blood sacrifice of Christ can do much more. Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make us completely clean from the evil we have done. It will give us clear consciences so that we can worship the living God.

THOUGHTS: I believe that every Bible Teacher or Pastor’s wish would be, that their hearers are getting as much from a lesson as they received when they studied the lesson being taught. I also believe that every Worship Minister would love to know that the folk they are leading in a time of worship were participating from the deepest parts of their heart and receiving a blessing like they receive when leading us. Often we will go to our corporate worship services and while sometimes being totally blessed and pulled into the worship time through full participation, yet at other times we just attend but don’t feel a closeness to our Lord as we worship. These are the times we find fault with the person next to us or behind us, or with the worship leader, or perhaps the volume of the instrumentalists! But friend, if you especially read verse 14, you will notice that as long as we enter God’s house with stained consciences, there just may not be an opportunity for you to connect with God and His Holy Spirit that day. You might remember from God’s Word that God will not be present where sin abounds. I believe that another way of understanding verse 14 might be in the following way: “One cannot worship the Living God without a clear conscience” or unless one has already settled with God concerning their sin. There’s a worship song that has been around for a long time “There’s A Sweet, Sweet Spirit in this Place“. After reading verse 14, I’m not so sure that will even happen for us if we present ourselves for worship with sin in our life. Perhaps we should have a confession service first, then, perhaps, the Spirit of God might find clean hearts and consciences in which He is free to move and to bless. Let’s keep this in mind the next time that we attempt to worship God. Clean hearts will draw close to God, as it is the only way that He will draw close to you and I.

PRAYER: How dare us attempt to enter Your presence in sin, Oh God, especially thinking that we can block the hindrances (our sin) while we attempt to worship You. It’s not enough for us to conjure up a time of ‘worship’ Lord Jesus, for we want to be where You are, and we want to worship You in sincerity of heart, soul and mind. Please forgive us for attempting to worship You, the One who never sinned, yet with sin in our hearts. Please cleanse me of all unrighteousness, so that as I approach Your throne I can do so with a clear conscience and without sin. Please touch the hearts of my readers Lord, so that they too might be enlightened of any sin that not only separates them from You, but also blocks their true worship of You. Lord, may You rule and reign in every aspect of our lives and especially prepare us for frequent times of worship to You. I love you Lord, and I lift my voice and heart in worship to You alone. My prayer is offered in and through the name of Jesus, the only one worthy of my worship and praise, AMEN!

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

If You SEE Jesus You Will Worship Him

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Recognize God, See God, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 28:16-17): 16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

THOUGHTS: In our scripture reference today we see one of many instances where folk saw Jesus, and they bowed and worshipped Him. I acknowledge that this particular instance is so miraculous that it would cause anyone to ‘worship’, because Jesus was crucified, died, buried, three days later arose from the dead, and now stands in their very presence. However, how often do we stand in awe of the presence of the Lord Jesus, but do we even acknowledge Him and/or offer up our sacrifices of praise to Him? Matthew Henry in his commentary on this verse says “All that see the Lord Jesus with an eye of faith, will worship him.” I could almost imagine by now you are dumbfounded as to what I might be getting at here, because the Lord Jesus stood in the presence of the disciples, and you probably can’t remember the last time that He did that to you, right? Friends, we are presented with reminders of our Lord Jesus every day and we make personal choices as to what we do with that. If you pick up the precious Word of God and read it, you will be flooded with evidence and overwhelmed by the presence of God as you read about Him, but do you stop to worship Him and acknowledge His greatness? If you walk out of your home and stop complaining about the humidity long enough to see the beauty of all that God has provided for you to enjoy, you might consider raising your hands in praise to Him for His miraculous touch on everything from the heights of the skies to the beautiful green grass and flowers that you see, to the cattle that produces dairy products and/or beef for your plate. If you enter God’s house of worship and hear the stories of how God has miraculously healed and/or touched His children, you will worship Him knowing that there is still hope for Him to also miraculously help you through your challenges that seem so unsurmountable to you. Friends, it is time for us to stop whining and start praising. It is time for us to stop attributing God’s miracles that occur all around us every day, to happen-chance, or good luck, or any other worldly credit, and truly SEE God in our miracles and then worship Him in deep sincerity like the disciples exampled for us in this scripture. Jesus is still alive and He is looking for opportunities to bless you, if only you will let Him into your world. Won’t you do that today friend?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your presence each and every day. Please forgive us for the times that we find every other reason in the world why something special occurred in our life, before we finally realize that it truly was the God of this universe that stepped in and took care of our situation. You have provided lots of evidence of your miraculous hand at work in our lives and all around us. Please open our spiritual eyes so that we may SEE Your goodness, Your miracles and Your love that You want so badly for us to accept and envelope. Lord, may we truly learn to worship You in every way, because of all that You place before us as evidence of Your presence. Please also open the eyes of the non-believer today so that they will realize that there is no other explanation for the miracles around them other than the awesome power and greatness of the Almighty God. Lord I pray that our worship and our praise will come naturally, as we recognize the originator of our blessings. Thank You for being so good to us! I ask these things in the gracious name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

From The Heart The Mouth Speaks

On By Ed AlgreenIn Heart, Honesty, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 15:17-20): 17 Don’t you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? 18 But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. 19 Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. 20 These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

THOUGHTS: Reading the earlier part of this chapter we may tend to condemn the Pharisees for complaining to Jesus about others who chose to eat things they would not dare eat. However, Jesus soon came back at them with the issues they themselves were struggling with. Isn’t that much like us today, where we easily see the fault in others but struggle to acknowledge that we have issues of our own, and/or concede to actually deal with our issues? Jesus really got to the heart, for He reminded the Pharisees, as He does to us, that regardless of the ancillary things that we might do, it’s the intent of the heart and the content of the heart that really matters. Think about it, we might say that we are going to a worship service, and we might even jump in our car and go to the place of corporate worship and go inside the sanctuary, but if the heart is wicked, if it’s filled with evil thoughts, if it’s burning with jealousy or enmity towards our family or friends or coworkers or the preacher or another church member, what type of worship might we possibly offer to God? It just won’t happen friends. Satan might try every trick in the book to trip us up during the week, but if he succeeds in distracting our relationship with God, or breaking down our Godly character before those we love, or cause us to say just about anything that could blurt from our mouths without any respect or love for the individual we are communicating with, then obviously our hearts are more occupied with the things of Satan than of the things of God. Friends, if our hearts belong to God, then we must do everything within our will to keep it filled with the things of God. When we don’t, we leave room for it to become filled with the things of this world (Satan’s playground). I believe a good end of day exercise for all of us would be to seek God’s face and His wisdom to help us reflect on our day and honestly evaluate if our actions and/or our words emanated from a heart filled with God, or of Satan. The Bible teaches us what things God approves of, so this will be an easier task than it may appear to be. Let’s be sure that our hearts are filled with God each day so that our words and our actions will reflect Jesus in every way. To the one reading this who may not have accepted Jesus as Lord, please allow me to lovingly and respectfully tell you that Jesus cannot exist where sin resides, so don’t expect Him to fill your heart until you have invited Him to be Lord of Your heart. Notes in my ‘Footnote’ will help you in making the most important decision of your life. Please allow me to help you find Jesus, the only One who can help you turn your life around and surrender full control to Him.

PRAYER: People all around us need You, oh Lord. But they are extremely challenged to seek You when they don’t see the impact You are making in the lives of Your children. Please help us to be more committed, dedicated and willing to give full control of our heart, mind and soul to You, so that we may become usable vessels that You can work through to reach the lost. They don’t need another fake, they need to see honest and true images of Jesus Christ in everything that we say and/or do. You’re the only One that can help us achieve that oh Lord. Please help us to be willing servants that can be impacted and used by You. I ask these things in the precious and all-powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Purpose Yourself to Worship God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance, Treasure, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 6:19-21): 19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

THOUGHTS: Why do you go to church? Why do you worship God? Did you find God in the corporate worship time? How? – I believe the first two questions would be a good survey to ask folk about to enter a weekend church service, and the last two questions would be great for an exit survey as they are leaving. I believe it would be good for each reader to answer these questions even now! Because you are human, just as I am, I know there are times that we jump out of bed, rush to church, sit back and wait for the entertainment to start. There are times that we have so much going on in our lives that our body attends church, but we hope that no one asks what the preacher spoke about, because we were way too preoccupied solving issues in our minds to hear and apply a word that he said! So how then do we get ourselves in motion and in tune with God? First of all, I believe that worship is a daily, relational thing. It’s a matter of priority, and it’s a deliberate action on the worshiper to think about the Savior of this world and the many blessings that He continually pours out on us. By now you are wondering how all of this ties in with the point of this scripture I bet! Friends, when we place so much of our time and effort into material things, guess where our minds are while our bodies attend church? When we assume control of our finances, instead of allowing God control of this vital part of our existence, we worry about how we will make the budget, and we constantly contemplate where and how we can make more money. It is challenging for us to give God our undivided attention when, in our minds, we have so much else going on. I believe that if we were to sincerely aim at achieving what verse 21 advocates, then we will invest ourselves, our time and our money into the worship and work of the Lord. My treasure is in heaven, is that evident in every aspect of my life?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sacrificing Your precious Son, in spite of those that You know would just ignore You and take Your Treasure for granted. Lord we fool no one else but ourselves when we get ourselves so distracted, and we can’t concentrate on You because of all that we worry about. Too often our ‘treasure’ is misaligned and consumes our attention, and draws us away from giving You our full attention and allegiance. Please continue Your work in me and in the lives of my readers, that we may be so aligned with our greatest ‘TREASURE’ that great works will extend from the hearts and lives of Your children and that You will have full access to our hearts for Your use. I ask this in total humility and in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

The Reason We Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn God alone, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Revelation 19:10): 10 I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don’t do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don’t worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

THOUGHTS: In this particular revelation (vision) John had been shown and told about the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and he was told to put it in writing that everyone is invited to the feast. John was so overwhelmed with joy about this that he dropped to his knees in worship to the angel revealing this. I believe that God particularly got my attention on what John was warned about, because I believe that we are so close to doing the same thing today in various ways. Think about the reason you give to someone you are inviting to church. Do you ever tell about the miraculous work that God is doing in and through the congregation? It seems to me that it’s always more about the beautiful church building that they must come and see, or the wonderful worship leader who provides the best entertainment this side of heaven, or the pastor who really has his act together and can keep your attention with exciting and humorous sermons. Is it any wonder why we hear of folk going to church and leaving empty, unfulfilled and getting absolutely nothing from the service, if they attend for the wrong reason(s)? I heard a young worship leader say that he always prays that he would not be a worship leader, but a leader that worships and others follow suite. I believe that many of our Christian leaders stand before us with similar heart desires. When we invite folk to come and see/worship the qualities of our leaders, then we are showing our leaders that they are totally ‘missing the point’ in their endeavors. I also believe that most unbelievers who hear us brag about anything other than Christ alone, quickly get the point that this is not what they are looking for. A lost person looking to return, or gain a relationship with Christ, wants to hear how open your church is in allowing you access, and leading you, to the Father. They find beautiful buildings around town, and they have leaders who draw attention to themselves at work every day. When the unsaved hear that we have found the King of kings and Lord of lords, and a place that we can connect with Him corporately each week, they want a piece of that because that can’t be found in their workplace or anywhere else that they frequent every day. Please join me in telling others about the joy of the Lord, not the happenings of our church, or the messenger God blessed us with to help point us to Him. Please click on the following link and be led into worship as the song plays and you prepare to address God in prayer: For He (God) alone is worthy of our worship!

PRAYER: You alone are worthy of our worship and praise oh God! May we keep our personal and corporate worship aligned with Your original design for us. May we find You in our worship, and not just a beautiful church building in which to worship, or a wonderful worship leader or pastor that has the ability to lead us into an atmosphere of worship. For it’s You that makes a difference in this world, and it’s You alone who can change a broken and contrite heart to be better aligned with Your original design. Please forgive us for allowing the things of this world to change us, instead of the creator of this world who truly has the power to change us. Please change our concept of how to invite others to corporate worship with us. Constantly remind us that it was You who changed our hardened hearts and not anything, or anyone else. As we are reminded of that, please help us to share the root of our salvation and not the after effect or result of our salvation. People need the Lord, not just another church or human leader. May we always point to You dear God, the author and finisher of our faith. I ask all these things in the name of the One who sacrificed His life for my sin, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

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

What Triggers Your Praise?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faithfulness, Loving-Kindness, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Living Bible – Psalm 138:1-3): 1 Lord, with all my heart I thank you. I will sing your praises before the armies of angels. 2 I face your Temple as I worship, giving thanks to you for all your loving-kindness and your faithfulness, for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. 3 When I pray, you answer me and encourage me by giving me the strength I need.

THOUGHTS: In this Psalm we can see where David was touched by, or reminded of the love of God and His undying faithfulness, and it triggered his worship of God. Notice that David said he faced the temple as he worshipped, but he didn’t wait until the next worship service where he could watch the praise team worship or the pastor rejoice over a passage of scripture that God spoke to him about. Friends please don’t get me wrong, each of these things I mentioned are important, but I truly believe that when we recognize the love of our God, when we feel His precious love for us individually and we realize that He is faithful to us in every aspect of our lives, then we will be moved to worship God on a very personal level. When we do that, I believe that our corporate worship services will take on a whole new dimension, for our churches will be filled with worshippers, not just Christians looking for a place to be electrified, or energized by a good worship leader or an awesome praise team. David goes on in these verses to say that he is reminded that all of the promises of God are backed by the honor of His holy name – the name above all names! He is also encouraged that the God of this universe answers his prayers and encourages him by giving him the strength that he needs to go on each day and live a strong and noble life for the Lord. These are all wonderful reminders for us to also worship our God, but this list is not all inclusive. For I think of the wonders of nature that He places before me as I drive to work, the beauty of another sunrise, the blessing of rain, of cows and wildlife playing in the fields and pastures. Most of all, like David, I am amazed that the God of this universe takes time to listen to my prayers and answers/comforts my concerns. Who am I that a Kind should bleed and die for? Yet, I am convinced that He would have sacrificed himself on that old cruel cross if I was the only one in need of a Savior. He loved me that much, and it is no different in the love that my Savior has for each of you today friend. Worship Him! Thank Him! Recognize His goodness and never attribute His careful and deliberate love for you as mere chance or good luck. Make every effort to be a personal, worshipping believer, not just one looking for a place for corporate worship of the Savior who loves you personally so very much.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, You have given us so much reason to worship You from the depth of our heart. Please awaken Your saints from the sleep of laziness, or dependence on others and/or other influences to invoke a heart of worship within us. Please help us to rest from the busyness of this life long enough to reflect on Your goodness, Your love and Your undying faithfulness. The Psalmist has triggered our minds and reminded us of the awesome joy in lifting up praise and worship to You, may this be a day that our eyes will be opened to reflect on Your beauty and Your goodness and may we recommit to a personal relationship with the God of this universe who loves us personally and cares for us intimately. Thank You Father for loving and caring for even me. These things I ask of You in the precious name of Your Son, my Savior and King, Jesus. AMEN!

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

Prepare for Praise and Worship!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, Praise, Worship2 Comments

THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – Revelation 4:8-11): 8 …Day and night they never stopped singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, the all-powerful God, who was and is and is coming!” 9 The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. 10 At the same time the twenty-four elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said, 11 “Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. You created all things, and by your decision they are and were created.”

THOUGHTS: If we were to give advice to an Olympic swimmer hopeful, it would be that they practice, practice and practice some more, right? So what if you were to give advice to a Christian who might be questioning what they could do to best prepare themselves for their eternal home in heaven? God has shared the above verses with us to give us a glimpse of what it will look like in heaven, our eternal destination. It seems like our preparation might be along the lines of constant praise and worship, to the Lord in whom we have placed our total trust, while here on earth. So how could we possibly prepare for such an awesome time as that? Perhaps like the Olympian swimmer, we should aim at practicing this praise and worship while still here on earth, and like the swimmer would try to improve his/her time, we too should look for ways to draw closer to God and express that closeness through our increased effort to lift up our praise and worship to our King. I believe that if I asked most Christians if they do a fair job at praise and worship already, I would probably receive some ‘canned’ responses, such as “yep, I attend worship services every weekend, and we have the best praise team in town”, or “we don’t need praise and worship at our church because our pastor is such a phenomenal preacher – we can just sit and listen to him endlessly”. I wonder sometimes if our first misconception of praise and worship, is that it can only occur inside a specific building at a specific time. Isn’t it amazing how we believe God is on duty to handle our prayer requests 24/7/365, yet our praise and worship to this same God is limited to specific times and places? Here’s something that Matthew Henry shared on this passage: All true believers wholly ascribe their redemption and conversion, their present privileges and future hopes, to the eternal and most holy God. Thus rise the for-ever harmonious, thankful songs of the redeemed in heaven. Would we on earth do like them, let our praises be constant, not interrupted; united, not divided; thankful, not cold and formal; humble, not self-confident. I believe that while here on earth we should learn to worship our King based on our heartfelt response to Him for His manifold blessings and in deepest sincerity and honesty to our Savior. This should not be something that is only turned on in time for our weekend services, but may our weekend services instead be filled with the overflow of our personal praise and worship to our King. May it not surprise God to see You lift up holy hands to him in church, or to hear you cry out in praise to Him during the church service, because He is so accustomed to seeing and hearing similar acts of praise and worship from you throughout the week. Friends, we are preparing for the greatest day in history, and to meet the awesome God who created mankind and everything in this world, let us be busy readying ourselves by doing all that we are should be doing here and now!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, it is so exciting to think about a time when we can bow before you with no external interruptions and just worship You as if no one else even exists. For those who are accustomed to lifting You up in praise and worship here on earth, this will be a natural transition. For those who depend on external resources to trigger their worship of You, they may find that they have missed out on an awful lot here on earth, and the idea of personal one-on-one worship may seem challenging. Lord, please open our hearts and our minds to be very aware of Your presence and Your unlimited blessings that You bestow on us daily. May it then come natural to us to burst into praise and worship of You, no matter where we are or who we are with. You deserve our praise today, and every day, as we move closer to the time when we will humble ourselves at Your feet in heaven. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever and forever! These things I ask in the name of Jesus, the name above ALL names, AMEN!

PLEASE NOTE: I will be out of town on a mission trip to be of service to our friends in Mexico during the week of July 19th. I will not be able to publish these devotionals during that time. Please pray that God might use His servants, our group of 30, so that His children in this foreign land might be encouraged and drawn to Him through our honest and sincere representation of our Savior. May God be glorified in all things through our witness! I expect to resume these devotionals on Monday, July 27th.

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