Waiting, Hoping and Trusting in God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Much Are You Worth?

On 2020-05-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-05-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Proverbs 22:1
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: A beautiful reputation^[a] is more to be desired than great riches, and to be esteemed by others is more honorable than to own immense investments.^[b]

OBSERVATION: Having a background in banking, I heard about the days when loans were granted based on a handshake – meaning one’s reputation. In my day in the trade, we struggled to have loans repaid properly even if we held most of the assets owned by the borrower. So often we work so hard to enable a better bank account – for a rainy day or to best take care of our family even when regular income diminishes. Today I would ask that you meditate with me as we examine our own value, as God may sees it.

APPLICATION: There is one thing that all the people of the world has in common at this very time, we are all facing the challenges of our income flow that may have been severed for an unknown number of weeks, and in many cases we can’t find items to purchase, even if we have money. During this time, there are inumerable cases where families are working together on projects, playing together for mental and health benefits, and talking more to one another, seeing that we are not distracted by the demands of work. While I realize that when our respective countries reopen, life will eventually return to ‘normal’, I also know that almost everyone in the world has been impacted by the temporary refocusing on the important things in our life. In fact, I am really hoping that the things we learned during this time of shutdown, will remain boldly in our minds, and impact our personal lives for years and years to come. We had time to be reminded of what truly is important in our lives, even when the rest of the world is out of focus, or nonexistent. Solomon was known as the wisest man in the world, and he was always known as a man who listened closely to God. Because this Proverb is found in God’s Word, I believe that He influenced Solomon to write this so that His children for all time would benefit from its truth. This is not outlandish advice, but it is something that we need to be reminded of personally on a regular basis. In fact, I would recommend that we each keep a copy of this verse, in printed form, in a very prominent place to act as a reminder that our decisions, our words, our attitudes and our will for every day belongs to God. As we plan our day, and as we talk business over the phone or in person at the shop, we remember and practice that it’s all about God and not ourselves. Imagine for a moment if we promoted God first and foremost in all that we think, all that we do and all that we say, and as a result we see where our employer or our business is becoming way more profitable and way more popular, would it not cause us to raise our hands in thanksgiving to God for being so gracious to us and to all that we are a part of? Friends, let’s be quick to remember that we can’t out-give God. And while this is often referred to in monetary terms, I want us to use it as a reminder that when we give honor, praise and credit to the One who made it all possible, then we will surely benefit from His ongoing blessings. When we concentrate on riches instead of blessings, we tend to easily cave in to Satan’s sneaky, cheating and conniving ways of overstepping those who bless us and those who need us. Our relationship with God and our daily endeavor to draw closer to Him, will go so much further than we could even consider. Trust God today dear friend and make Him a priority in your life – personally, at home, at work, at your social clubs, at the store and wherever else you may find yourself. I am convinced that He will bless you beyond anything you could imagine when you lift up His name and worship Him in the good, bad and unsure times of your life.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, it is easy to praise You when everything is going well for us and we are succeeding in every aspect of our lives. However, today we are reminded that our success in life is impacted more by our reputation than anything we might own materially. Lord, I believe that our reputation is worthless without You being a vital part of our daily lives. Please help us to be reminded of this on a regular basis, so that we might draw close to You and depend on You in the good times, as well as the most challenging times in life. For a life filled with the love of Your Son Jesus is priceless, and Your teachings are intended to attract our focus on You and all that You established for our good. Glorify Yourself in us dear Lord, and may the works of our hands and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to You oh Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Please use this devotional to draw men and women to the foot of the cross so that they too may meet the One who laid His life down for us, and who lives in anticipation of us joining You one day soon – in Heaven! 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!

What A Glorious Hope!

On 2020-05-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faith, Faith in Action, Hope, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-05-07
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Job 19:25-27
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁵“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. ²⁶And I know that after this body has decayed, this body shall see God!^[a] ²⁷Then he will be on my side! Yes, I shall see him, not as a stranger, but as a friend! What a glorious hope!

OBSERVATION: I have heard some of the saddest, hopeless and most terrifying statements during this temporary shutdown of almost everything on this earth, because of Covid 19. I won’t dare make light of it, for some individuals were impacted in unimaginable ways. However, in my study of God’s Word this morning, I continued my study in Job and was trying to comprehend all that he endured – until I came to the above verses that Job proclaimed to his friends. Oh that we could use these same words during our times of disaster, and when it seems like Satan only has us (individually) to pick on this month. Yes, we’re in the middle of a pandemic friends, but oh what a glorious hope that we have!

APPLICATION: In our Scripture today we are shown that for the child of God, no matter what may come our way, we have a glorious hope that one day soon our Savior will return to take His bride/the church/you and I, back to glory with Him! Now I realize that those words are fairly easy to say when others are hurting, or dealing with many of life’s ups and downs, but we all must be prepared to imitate Job? This man had everything taken away from him as a test of his faith. God, in a conversation with Satan, referred to Job as a man without sin. There was one thing and/or loved one taken from Job one right after the other. Yes, he was human, for he became very depressed over all that was happening to him. Friends came and tried to offer help, but nothing seemed to help. Then in this chapter, it seemed like Job must have remembered who he belonged to. He realized that no matter what transpires here on this earth, and no matter how much of our lives are impacted, a child of God has a glorious hope to look forward to. For one day, and I don’t believe that it will be very long, all Christians will rejoice at the feet of our Savior and sing unlimited praises to Him as we glory in the presence of He and the Father! No doubt some of you reading this devotional are going through some pretty rough times, and you may even be angry at me for being insensitive enough to write these words at this time. Friends, I am merely following a reading plan that takes me through the entire Bible, so I am convinced that the timing of me studying this passage was ordained by God right from the time I established my reading plan. You see, He is all-powerful and all-knowing so He knew exactly what I would need on this very day, at this very time. He knew I would share this with those who also need these words TODAY. Let me encourage you to listen to the Word of God, and be encouraged to know that no matter what comes your way while still here on earth, you have a glorious hope in knowing that one day you will rejoice with Him in glory! For the unbeliever that God ordained to read this blog today, please know that God has a plan for you. Please know that you also could be encouraged by the hope that’s embedded in this message today. But please allow me to be candid with you, this hope is for the child of God – the one who has accepted Him as Lord and Savior. If you are encouraged by this hope that belongs to the believer, please carefully read my Footnote and especially click on, and read, the link ‘To Know Jesus’. The door has not been closed yet for the unbelievers to approach the throne of grace for salvation, but according to the Scriptures, know that today is the day of salvation, for you are not assured of one minute past the moment that you read this. Know Jesus today my precious friends, and know that glorious hope that is ours in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER: Thank You dear Lord for the assurance of salvation given to those who have invited You into their heart. Thank You Lord that we could sing and rejoice over the same statement that Job made many years ago – we have a glorious hope in knowing to whom we belong, and to our final home of peace when we are taken out of this world. Please Lord, be compassionate to the unbeliever who may be reading this today and unsure of whether they should accept You as Lord. Please soften their heart and draw them unto Yourself. Please help them to make that decision to which You have drawn them to. We look forward to that glorious day when we shall see You face-to-face. Please help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and not the temporary challenges brought on by Satan in the world in which we now live. AMEN!

Use Your Body To Bring Glory To God

On 2020-05-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, For His Glory, Glorify, Glory of God, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-05-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁹Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary.^[l] ²⁰You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood,^[m] so by all means, then, use your body^[n] to bring glory to God!

OBSERVATION: Paul was presented with a problem that most of my friends, and possibly most of my readers, would ever be faced with – prostitution. In trying to understand how Paul may have felt, I consider how I felt the first time I understood the impact of human smuggling and slavery. Imagine hearing that a human sex slave is way more profitable because of the ability to reuse the product owned by a pimp. For those who know God, and value the gift that He gave on Calvary for His beloved children, I believe that we will appreciate where Paul was coming from on his message here.

APPLICATION: The big deal here is that Paul was preaching to the church, not those who never visit the church or accepted Jesus as Lord. So this made me think about what must really be going on among our church people today, or among ‘Christians’ as a whole. I believe that what often causes grief among ‘Christians’, is that some may follow the plea of a parent, or a best friend to give their heart to the Lord, and an individual follows through in trying to satisfy the constant bombardment. This becomes a very temporary thing in the mind of that person, as they quickly return to their normal lifestyle without a true relationship with their Maker. Friends, if one of your men decided to marry a woman, and after the marriage ceremony he went his way and she went hers, would they truly live like husband and wife? Would they respect their individual bodies knowing that their spouse reserved full and dedicated rights to their body (1 Corinthians 7:4)? I don’t think so. Similarly, unless a Christian develops a personal relationship with the King of kings, then no real honor and respect is developed for the One who gave His life for our sin. When we show friends that we gave our life to the Lord, they try to take us at our word, until they could truly see if any spiritual fruit develops. However, we can’t fool God, for He knows us individually. He not only knows about every word we speak, but He also knows our thoughts and our very hearts. So when we stray and perform certain acts that surprises the church, don’t think for a moment that God is surprised, for He knows all about us. Now for those who honestly and sincerely surrenders their life to the Lord and truly trusts in His Word, Paul is reminding us that the Holy Spirit resides inside of us, to guide us along the right path and to live honest and noble lives for the Lord. Forbid it that this would ever occur still today, but Paul is teaching us that we are to respect our bodies, the sanctuary in which the Holy Spirit resides. Just like I believe Paul was addressing this subject that started with prostitution, but also generalizing because of the other ways that children of God were abusing their bodies, I believe the same occurs today. Many of the same sins that we look down on society for today, are almost equally as bad among God’s holy children. Like Paul, I would respectfully and lovingly warn all of my readers, that precious is the one who is a child of the Most High King, for God has placed His Holy Spirit inside of us at the time of our salvation decision. Let’s be respectful of that, and not only live according to what we believe the Bible teaches, but always be conscious of fact that we are not just disrespecting ourselves when we sin, but we are also subjecting the holiest – the Holy Spirit – a party of the Trinity, to our filth. Oh that we might be constantly reminded of this when we are tempted to indulge in things, especially those that we tend to think no one else is seeing or witnessing. Oh that we may always strive to be holy, just as He is holy.

PRAYER: Lord, You know are goings and our comings. You have blessed us with Your holy presence on an ongoing basis, because You know that we struggle to do this life on our own, in a way that is pleasing to You. Oh God, we really need You every minute of every day. Please always guide, protect and show us the way to help others be drawn to You. Please forgive us when we are weak and when we falter. Please sharpen our minds so that we will always call upon You in these moments, so that others will see more of Christ and less of ourselves. It’s all about You dear Lord. Please have Your will and way in our lives, our thoughts, our goings and our comings. May others know You and desire Your presence in their lives today. AMEN!

Who Will Make Up The Kingdom of God?

On 2020-05-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faith in Action, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-05-04
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, ¹⁰or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. ¹¹Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

OBSERVATION: I believe that many who we know and love, will quickly sit with us and explain how they know that they would be accepted into God’s kingdom. However, Paul was addressing a church that had started accepting so many practices of its day and considering it acceptable to the church. Perhaps even acceptable to a loving God. As we meditate on this Scripture today I would ask that you compare this to what we are seeing today. Our responsibility is to examine what God expects of His people and what will be acceptable to Him.

APPLICATION: In talking with various family, friends and loved ones, we could easily be drawn into various ways of looking at life situations, which may often be viewed by God as ‘sin’. You see, when we look at television, we are introduced to what the world accepts as ‘normal’ and acceptable. At work, we are guided by laws that the world classifies as ‘normal’. So, of course, we go to church and expect similar activity that we see in our world, and so we try to find ways to twist biblical truth, to make our twisted minds feel like their actions may be acceptable to God. However, history shows that the ‘world’ has changed, but only to the extent that it is impacting our personal space and challenging our personal views. I found it very interesting that part of my reading from the Word this morning came from the book of Job. One of Job’s friends, in responding to Job’s list of reasons why he felt picked on, feeling downhearted and forsaken by God, said to Job: ‘Your sins are telling your mouth what to say’ (Job 15:5). Think about that in the light of what Paul was facing in our scripture today, and in light of what we face every day with the sins of those close to us. Can you be bold and forthcoming like Paul? Don’t you know that you can only do that when you are certain that your life is squeaky clean? Can you say like Paul did in one of his other letters ‘Follow me, as I follow Christ’? I believe that it’s only then that we could possible help a brother or a sister recognize the sin they are involved in, and overcome that sin with the help of the Great I Am. Yes Paul preached this sermon to the church of Corinth, but don’t think for a moment that God only wanted this included in His Word so we could know what type of people made up that church at Corinth. God knew full well that our churches today, and our circle of family and friends would be made up of similar folk to those addressed by Paul. I am convinced that God placed everything strategically in His Word that He wants us to benefit from today. The words were inspired by God and given to the respective authors. He wanted the words penned so that we would always have a perfect reference point – a place to see what God thought about the same situation we need answers on today. Friends, I don’t believe any of this will reveal anything new for you, for God has already been working on your conscience about whatever it is in your life that He doesn’t approve of. Please be obedient to the voice of God today. No need to tear me apart for anything I might be guilty of. Be obedient to the Word of God and how it applies to your life. Don’t twist its meaning into whatever you need it to say, but rather seek God and His righteousness so that you might be welcomed into the Kingdom of God when He calls you out of this world.

PRAYER: In Job 15:14, Job was questioned by his friend: ‘Who is man that he could be pure and clean before a holy God’. Yet You designed us to be like You, dear Lord. So often we feel like we are so unworthy, yet we know that You are worthy of our praise, and that we could do all things through Christ who strengthen us. So we are reminded that life is all about You. Please help us to always seek Your presence, always sing praises to our awesome God, and always seek guidance from Your Word about decisions we are faced with at the moment. Bottom line is, that we were placed here on earth by Your mighty hand, and until You call us home to glory, we remain here fully dependent on Your strength, Your guidance and Your protection. Please help us to live with our eyes fixed on You and our practices shaped by Your teachings and Your guidance. May we be worthy of Your Holy Spirit working through us to bless others and draw them to the Savior. AMEN

Show Mercy & Snatch Friends From Danger

On 2020-05-022020-05-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, Holy Spirit, Prayer, SubmissionLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-05-02
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Jude 1:20–23
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

OBSERVATION: I was reminded of a popular old hymn entitled ‘Rescue the Perishing’ as I read this Scripture today, and with everyone locked in and caring about themselves, and possibly their significant other, I wonder how soon we will return to the idea of caring about others, and trying to rescue them from the path on which they are headed. Without the Lord Jesus Christ, one is headed to a dark and burning Hell, but we are called on to rescue them by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Oh that we would have mercy on those we care about, like God had for us.

APPLICATION: Interesting how God used Jude to not only share this with his church as he prepared to leave them, but also to have this included in His Word for our ongoing benefit. Friends, have you ever stopped and thought real good about the folk that God directs your way for your weekend services? They are looking to escape the cruelty and hatred of their world, and hoping to find the opposite at your church – God’s House. As they walk in, some might look them up and down because their dress code may not be quite like that of your regular church membership, or perhaps they may not have had water turned on at their place, and able to take a shower. I’m hoping that you too may have been touched by this Scripture from Jude. Let’s examine it closely: “Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit”, in other words don’t depend on feelings, or personal ideal you have established, but consider praying under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that is alive in you. I believe God, through His Holy Spirit, will direct your thoughts to be better aligned with His thoughts, so that you might see the heart of that visitor to your church, or that person trying to befriend you, without being impacted by any personal feelings. Fill yourself with God’s Holy Spirit and you will speak His words without having to worry about saying something that may otherwise upset someone. You will quickly see the spiritual need of the individual without being distracted by, or worrying about their immediate physical needs. Friends, Jude also goes on to encourage us to deal with believers from a Spirit filled heart. This is where we show mercy and love towards a Brother who is drifting away and not always living up to the mark. Satan is working seriously on the person and unless you intervene and gently speak to, and love on that person, they will be torn away by the forces of evil. In fact, it will be just like you are snatching that weaker Brother or Sister from the flames of Satan and his wicked and evil judgment. Please focus on the heart today friend. The words and the actions may appear ugly and extremely sinful, but as the heart of the individual is touched, the outside stuff will be cleaned up as they invite God in. At the end of the day, this also helps you to reconcile with God about where your heart is. Interested in the restoration of a soul for Christ, or satisfied to look on in pity as they drift off into eternity with Satan and his demons. People need the Lord, my friend, and unless you tell them about your loving, precious Savior who died and rose again for the forgiveness of your sin, they may never be introduced to your Friend. If they were drowning, or if they were in a burning house, you wouldn’t think twice about snatching them to safety. Please join me as we try to do the same for those who are in danger of dying with hope.

PRAYER: Lord, this is serious business for Your children, for our words and our actions can either serve to help restore one who has fallen, or one who is desperately looking for a better way, OR we could totally turn them off from ever wanting to know You at all. That’s quite a responsibility Lord Jesus, however we have been reminded that we must become better aligned with You, so that Your Holy Spirit may lead us to snatch them from danger of eternal death. My readers and I need You Lord Jesus, because we tend to be so critical of those that just don’t seem to have their act together quite as good as we think we do. Please forgive us for acting this way, for we have seen so often that mankind will fail in and of their own merits. Only things that are done for Jesus will last, and only things directed by Your Holy Spirit will lead to spiritual goodness that could be used for Your glory. Please have Your will and way in our lives this day, Oh Lord. For I ask these things in the all-powerful name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

Guarding The Temple of God

On 2020-04-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-04-30
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁶Don’t you understand that together you form a temple to the living God and His Spirit lives among you? ¹⁷If someone comes along to corrupt, vandalize, and destroy the temple of God, you can be sure that God will see to it that he meets destruction because the temple of God is sacred. You, together, are His temple.

OBSERVATION: Most of us will do everything possible to protect and respect God’s house, the church – His temple. There are certain things we would not permit inside, such as alcohol, drugs, wild parties, etc. And there are several things that we would always carefully control – selling material items, the wearing of caps/hats by men, etc. I believe we do this because we look at our church sanctuaries as a place where God lives, and He is hallowed there by His people. But since Paul is referring to our personal bodies as a place where God (the Holy Spirit) resides, are we quite as careful to protect and respect His holy temple in that respect?

APPLICATION: Doctors who are really concerned about the lives of their patients, will often get on our case about the condition of our health, that is mostly impacted by what we permit to enter our bodies and/or whether we condition it with regular exercise. Ranking much higher in importance is our spiritual bodies. When Jesus was crucified, God sent His Holy Spirit to reside inside of us as our helper until He returns to take us home to glory. So I wonder, how much have we changed the conditioning of our bodies, and how much different do we strive to be in protecting our bodies from the evil one? Are we as careful about protecting our bodies, the temple of God, as we are about protecting our church sanctuaries, now that part of the Trinity is occupying His temple inside of us? Although this may be elementary, we must remind ourselves that the Trinity means that Father, Son and Holy Spirit is ONE. Which means that God resides inside of us as our Comforter, Guide, Deliverer, Friend and everlasting Father. So are you always proud of where you take the Holy Spirit? Do we protect what goes inside of our bodies and our minds, knowing that the Holy Spirit resides inside – such as drugs, alcohol, filthy movies, bad language, hatred, disrespect, etc.? Is there anything we subject our bodies to, that we would not want present when we kneel at the feet of Jesus in Heaven? The Bible says that we are the temple of God, and it also says that God resides in His temple. Do we love, respect and honor our God enough to protect His place of residence from anything untoward? I believe that our Scripture today is a good reminder that our God reigns, and He lives and reigns inside of us. We needn’t wait until we get to church to behave, to honor, obey and respect God, for He is present right now, right where we’re at. Thank You Father for going to the extent of the cross for my sin. Please be a constant reminder in my life of the One to whom I belong, and the One who lives and reigns inside of me. There are many who acknowledge You as Lord, oh that we all may stand boldly before Your throne knowing that we did everything possible to protect, honor and respect Your place of abode, especially where it was so within our personal control.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for sending Your comforter to live inside of me. Please forgive me for failing to always respect Your presence and Your everlasting love for me. As You have reminded my readers and I today through Your Word, may we all be consciously aware of the One who lives inside of us and may we always treat You with the same respect that we expect to give on the day we see You face-to-face. You are our King, and we praise You Heavenly Father for all that You are to us. AMEN!

A Test of Spiritual Maturity

On 2020-04-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Church growth, Maturity, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-04-29
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: My brothers and sisters, I cannot address you as people who walk by the Spirit; I have to speak to you as people who tend to think in merely human terms, as spiritual infants in the Anointed One. ²I nursed you with milk, as a mother would feed her baby, because you were not, and still are not, developed enough to digest complex spiritual food. ³And here’s why: you are still living in the flesh, not in the Spirit. How do I know? Are you fighting with one another? Are you comparing yourselves to others and becoming consumed with jealousy? Then it sounds like you are living in the flesh, no different from the rest who live by the standards of this rebellious and broken world.

OBSERVATION: Paul’s test for spiritually immaturity: Do you argue? Do you compare yourself to others? Are you jealous? Answer “yes” to any of these, then you are spiritually immature. Let’s look closer at this today, for the sake of the Gospel, and for the sake of Christian growth and maturity – so that the world may be saved.

APPLICATION: I believe that the downfall for most pastors is not for neglecting to dedicate themselves fully to the preaching of the Word, nor attending to the needs of their flock, but rather when spiritually immaturity rears its ugly head. This is no different to the secular world, for during my years of supervising and managing staff, it was always the most challenging part of my job – to deal with the ups and downs of my staff. Yes, we could get the work done, but there always came times when an employee saw the need to show their immaturity and they would become fixated on pulling a coworker down. As a supervisor wanting to make sure that all staff are happy workers, one might make the mistake of trying to ‘fix’ these problems. But often, it is just a matter of trying to help mature the employee who has the issue. Like Paul, many pastors become so burdened with these acts of immaturity that it pulls them down, through discouragement, anger and resentment. It can also destroy a church, for as word gets around, good, mature Christians will leave a church to avoid confrontation. This also serves to keep the unsaved from knowing Christ, for they look at the church and have no desire to gain the kind of disharmony that they hear about at their local church. Ministering to immature Christians is a persistent challenge for a teacher or pastor as they are forced to always teach or preach from an elementary level, or from the basics of the Bible, even if others in the class or church long for the depths of truth from the Word. So I believe that the reason God had Paul share this lesson with us in two different areas: 1). For the parishioner: work towards an intimate, learning, experience with your Maker. This means developing a personal relationship with the Master and getting to know Him better each and every day by studying His Word and conversing with God (praying) on a regular basis. If you only met with your spouse once per year, you would have to reignite the love relationship you once shared. In studying the Word of God, you learn more about Him and long to spend more time with Him, and this becomes a key reason for you to meet together with other believers; and 2). For the teacher and/or preacher: Patience is a virtue, and I believe that we will always need the love and grace of God to work with folk who refuse to fully develop their relationship with the Creator of the World. It gives us reason for seeking God’s help and understanding on why He brings certain circumstances into our lives and ministry. Often these folk are needy people who will always want our attention and our love to help them move on to greater heights in their relationship with God. Will it keep others back, perhaps. However, let’s use this as good reason to seek the help of the Master and follow what He tells us to do. It may be a growing experience for us as we deal with this each situation. There may eventually be another leader who will look to us for advice on how to handle these delicate matters. God may be preparing us and placing us in the right situations at the right time, for His ultimate glory. So let us learn to be content in whatever situation we may find ourselves, so that we may learn to praise God in our storms, in our growth opportunities and in our times of celebration – all glory goes to the Lord!

PRAYER: We probably use the word ‘WHY’ way too much Lord, and almost every time we realize that we are sadly questioning You. I believe that You created us to worship You, with absolutely no reason to question You. Please forgive us for placing ourselves in a bad position with You. To question You is just as immature as in the case of those we just pondered over in the above thoughts. As long as we are alive, please remind us that we are the clay and You are the Potter. You will provide situations that will mold us and shape us in the way that is pleasing to You. Please touch the hearts of those that will read this devotional. May they find total peace in knowing You as Lord, and as their personal Savior, regardless of the storm we may face while still here on earth. Please teach us and lead us to grow in You daily. AMEN!

A Vessel Used By God

On 2020-04-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Preach, Preaching, Recognize God, Teach, Teacher, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-04-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: My brothers and sisters, I did not pose as an expert with all the answers. I did not pretend to explain the mystery of God with eloquent speech and human wisdom. ²I claimed to know nothing with certainty other than the reality that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Liberating King, who was crucified on our behalf. ³I was moved to utter despair during my time with you. I would find myself trembling in dread and fear. ⁴The sermons I preached were not delivered with the kind of persuasive elegance some have come to expect, but they were effective because I relied on God’s Spirit to demonstrate God’s power. ⁵If this were not so, your faith would be based on human wisdom and not the power of God.

OBSERVATION: There are certain books that you might pick up and the story is so interesting that it becomes challenging for you to stop reading and put the book down for a while. The same is true with some teachers and preachers. Is it because one is more educated than the other, or one has been trained to assemble a sermon with certain form? I believe that if you are a preacher or teacher, you will definitely benefit from Paul’s lesson found in our Scripture today, but I also believe that it will train listeners to also look for the influence of the Holy Spirit on what is being said. Think about this with me today dear friend!

APPLICATION: I’m sure that like me, you have attended a Sunday School class and been bored out of your mind, only to arrive home and hear your spouse brag about all that they got out of the lesson that day. The same holds true with a church service. You may have been blessed beyond expectation, only to hear a friend complain about how ‘dry’ and ‘dull’ the preacher was, or how the music was too loud to enjoy and how they couldn’t stay awake during the sermon. Friends, when the Holy Spirit is at work, and has a message for one or more individuals, He could speak through an inexperienced, spoiled young man, or through a seasoned, old, dull man, and the Spirit’s word will fall on fertile ground. In our Scripture today, Paul deliberately held back on his fancy words and trying to overly impress those he was ministering to, for he knew that it was more important to plead with God to accomplish His work, even if He did it through him. Paul sounded very much like any of us, for he said that he was often fearful to stand before this crowd, and find the right words to convince them of their faithful Father. I have attempted to share the Word in a public/church setting before, and I could easily appreciate what Paul was saying. Much like this blog, some of you might read what I share some days and you may sit back and wonder where is this brother coming from? Friends, without bragging at all, I can tell you that on many occasions I have struggled to complete a day’s devotional, but because I asked God for His direction, I went ahead and posted it. Only to hear from one or more readers that they were drawn closer to God, or blessed immensely by the blog that day. Only God! There are days that God will fill me with so many thoughts that I could hardly type it fast enough. However, there are some days that God seems to give it to me in pieces. Often I share a lot of personal examples/experiences to help you understand what’s on my mind when I write the blog. Please don’t take this as bragging in any way, but seek God and ask Him to help you see what’s in store for you as you read His Word, and my thoughts. Perhaps He will use something to truly speak to your heart also and grow you in your faith. Please pray for me that I will stay on target and allow the Holy Spirit to speak boldly through me, so that you might hear from Him each day. Although I pray that God will always use me in this way, I want you to hear from Him, even though I may be shown as the author of the blog. It’s not until that happens that you will truly be blessed!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, just as Paul was used as a vessel for You to speak to the church at Corinth, I pray that it will be evident every day from the words read in my blog, that You are using me as a vessel to speak with myself and my readers. I also pray that You will use those who teach and those who preach, so that Your Word might go forth in season and out of season to those in need of hearing Your Word. Many are searching for a word from the Master during these trying times. I pray that their time will be well spent in reading what You have to share through Nuggets From God’s Word. May they see Jesus, and hear all about Your love, Your forgiveness. and Your direction for their lives. May I, in humility, avoid selfish feelings and relaying selfish thoughts, but instead wait on You and always allow You to speak through the words that I pen. Please touch our church leaders, teachers and preachers in the same way Lord, for people need the Lord, and not to learn more about any of us. AMEN.

The Simplicity of the Cross

On 2020-04-272020-04-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, First Hand Experience, Heart Knowledge, Knowledge, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-04-27
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 1:21
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ²¹For in his wisdom, God designed that all the world’s wisdom would be insufficient to lead people to the discovery of himself. He took great delight in baffling the wisdom of the world by using the simplicity of preaching the story of the cross^[w] in order to save those who believe it.

OBSERVATION: The great philosopher could explain what the cross was made of and every detail behind the reason that Jesus went to the cross, but isn’t it interesting how a simple person, like you or me, could talk to a friend about the old rugged cross and how it made a difference in our lives, and their mouths will drop open in wonder, hoping that this joy of which we speak, could also impact their lives? Join me in meditating on the simple story of the cross that we could share with, or preach to, our friends today and everyday.

APPLICATION: Many songs have been written and sold to thousands about the old rugged cross. Many sermons have been written and shared on almost any day, with church attendees, some of which might sit and wonder ‘how on earth does this apply to me today’? Many have braved the criminals, the poor and also the rich with various tips on how to win them to the Lord. Seminary after seminary charge thousands of dollars to students wanting to pursue a degree in religious studies. In churches located in countries around the world and represented by my readers, you will find that some are led by pastors and staff who are well educated, while some may simply have a pastor, filled by the Holy Spirit who has a heart touched by God, and who desires to share his simple faith with anyone that will listen. I believe that God will speak through all men described above, but based on our Scripture today, we are also reminded that no matter how smart our church leaders might be, without a very personal and current relationship with the Master, they will simply preach what they learned from professors in seminary. For I am convinced that Jesus wants us to share what He has done in our lives, because of what God did at Calvary when He sacrificed His only Son. Share this, so that those who are lost and seeking desperately for the Light, might understand that the whole reason Jesus died and rose again, was to provide life eternally with Him in heaven. You see, one might share the account of the cross based on the Biblical story, while another might explain with deep emotion how the events of the crucifixion happened so that they might see the hope of salvation, and it is that same reality that they want to share with those listening. God has blessed many with a lot of talent. God has also blessed a lot with extreme knowledge. However, God has placed in each of us a unique experience with His Son, that only we could share. I have an awesome friend who has been blind since birth, yet he shares the love of God on Social Media and with everyone who comes into contact with Him. I know of friends who have never gone to college, yet they do an outstanding job of sharing the news of Jesus Christ with others. I have friends who are as smart as anyone on earth, and they do a great job of sharing the love of the Lord Jesus that lives inside of them. If we have something to share, we can do so successfully, and in line with this Scripture. However, if we have all the knowledge in the world and can only share text with someone, they are lightly not going to get it. God uses the foolishness of preaching to reach unbelievers. A seminary or college degree might help you explain the story well, but unless that story comes from your innermost being, I’m not sure that just words will impact those you might share those words with. Let me share with you friends that we must know Him in order to share about Him with others. Know His Word and share how it impacts your life, so that others could base their decision based on something that is proven, and truly works.

PRAYER: Lord, I pray that none of Your children will allow knowledge, or the lack thereof, to prevent them from sharing with others what they see at work in their lives. Please give us the boldness to share with others all that You have blessed us with. Help us to avoid telling the good news about what You did for famous people, although that might be a super good story, but to always share about how You impacted our lives and blessed us so wonderfully. Dear God, thank You for saving my soul. Please use me to share that story with many who have yet to accept You as Lord, so that they may see the hope that is possible for even them. Many whom we know, need the Lord. Please use us to be instruments of Your truth, Your grace and Your love, so that those in our circle of influence may know and accept You as Lord. AMEN!