A Prayer of Desperation

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

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-12-05
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 143:8, 10
TRANSLATION: World English Bible (WEB)

BIBLE TEXT: 8 Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning, for I trust in you. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

OBSERVATION: I believe that every reader will identify with the need for going before God in desperate prayer at one time or another in your life. David too found the urgent need for God’s protection and direction, but I love the way he went about it. As we meditate today, perhaps God will speak to us about our prayer life and about our desperate need for drawing close to Him – the only One who could answer our prayers.

APPLICATION: We tell our kids that temper tantrums are not allowed in our presence, because we know that they will show their ungrateful attitudes and their selfish demands. Much like us in the desperate times of our lives, David felt like the whole world was against him, so he was hiding out from all human existence. But David went before God in appreciation of all that God is, and for all that He provides each and every day. He realized that it was him personally that needed to appreciate God more, so that praises would flow from his lips and his heartfelt respect of our awesome God would warm his soul and comfort him into believing and trusting in the all powerful God. I love the words used by this translation: ‘cause me to hear’; ‘cause me to know’; ’teach me to do Your will’; ‘lead me…’. This showed me that David acknowledged: that God was all loving; that God knew the way He should go; that God had him in mind, and therefore a perfect will for him to obey; and that God had a righteous land prepared for David to settle in. Friends, we have no authority over God, so we can’t demand anything from Him; nor tell Him where we should go. We must always remember that God created us; He loves us unconditionally; He watches over His children and will guide His children in the path of righteousness. Where the BIG question mark is evident in the equation is: are we prepared to accept God; His love; His directions and obediently follow His path. It’s us dear ones, not God. That’s why I loved it when David asked God to cause him to hear, to know, to follow His will, and to accept the path laid out for him. As a reminder, let’s also convince ourselves that God has no favorites, so if He did all this for David and comforted him with His glorious presence, God will do it again – for you and I. But let’s not forget that we must always work on self, and not on God. He is the only perfect One, who has all power and knows all things – including our direction for a perfect path that leads us to Him! Trust Him today dear friends!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for showing us in Your Word today that You are able! We were reminded by David that You are the way, the truth and the way. When life seems hopeless to us, we must remember that You are still in control. Just as David turned to You in desperation, my readers and I also turn to You in much the same way today. Lord, our family, friends, churches, cities and indeed countries are desperate, for this awful virus has taken hold of our people and they are either quarantined, hospitalized, or dying by the thousands. We acknowledge, like David, that this problem is much bigger than any man or woman from any country could clear up for us, so we beg of You, Almighty God, to please smile on us again and heal our land. I realize that this may come in the form of healing from our sin-sickness first, but I can boldly say that only You know exactly what we need. So we trust in Your almighty power, Your healing, and Your direction, because only You are capable and able to do anything about our problem. You took good care of David, please now, take good care of us. 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!

A Glimpse of Heaven

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

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-12-04
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 4:8-11
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 8 Each of these Living Beings had six wings, and the central sections of their wings were covered with eyes. Day after day and night after night they kept on saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty—the one who was, and is, and is to come.” 9 And when the Living Beings gave glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four Elders fell down before him and worshiped him, the Eternal Living One, and cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11 “O Lord, you are worthy to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you have created all things. They were created and called into being by your act of will.”

OBSERVATION: John had been given a glimpse of how God felt about his churches, and I believe that we found characteristics of ourselves and our churches throughout the challenges given by God To those churches. Now we could see where John is given a glimpse of what heaven might be like. My heart leapt for joy as I read the praise by the Living Beings and by the Elders, and I will share the reasons in my application below. Consider your expectation of your meeting God when you see Him on His throne! Oh what a day that will be!! Glory!

APPLICATION: I believe that people have various reasons that keep them going to church, and these things build enthusiasm and excitement into them for the coming day of corporate worship times each week. For many, it will be the exciting praise and worship time, for others it will be the enthusiastic proclamation of the Word by their pastor, or it might be getting together with their Bible Study teacher and/or group, or just seeing their Christian friends again, and yet for others, perhaps just because of the time that normally draws them closer to the Lord. For Christians in general, I believe that just the thought of Heaven and being with Jesus, their heart may skip a beat at just the thought of it. When a loved one passes away who knew Christ, it seems that the anticipation builds for remaining Christian close relatives to want to be in Heaven, because they have loved ones already there. Friends, we must remember that we are on this earth for just a while, so I hope that we will examine our purpose closely and not procrastinate in fulfilling our personal goals while here. Like any smart person, we must think ahead to ponder what happens after life here on earth, so that we could prepare ahead of time for an even more exciting time after this. Some will be drawn to the reality, love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and they will accept His free gift of eternal life, while some will choose to live each day in blindness and obliterated to the future. The second group will die in their sin and go on to spend eternity in Hell, the place of fire and torment, where they will be forever under the unfortunate leadership of Satan. However, in John 3:16, the first group is promised eternal life in Heaven with their creator. While the second group will be crying out in anguish over their awful predicament, the first group will be watching things such as John saw, and joining in with endless praises to the One who loved them unconditionally and sacrificed His only Son to provide the means of them being washed white from their earthly sin. Dear friends, I am a part of that first group and my heart sings out in praise when I read of the glory that John saw. For He tells of the worship of my King, the One that I worship here on earth, and the same One that I live in anticipation of worshiping at the foot of His throne in Heaven one day soon! Many of you may never experience your pastor or elders praising God here on earth, because they are so busy serving. I have gone to conferences where pastors are free to personally worship, and it truly blessed my heart. Imagine John seeing the Elders (Pastors) falling down in worship to the King that they taught and preached for a lifetime. Imagine you in worship to your King, with your pastor alongside you, worshiping your Savior? Oh my friend, no matter how much we read, nor how much we imagine or think about this, the awesome moment of truth when we bow at His feet will outshine all earthly thoughts about the moment! Please my friend, accept my Savior today. Know Him personally so that you too can join me at the feet of Jesus. Why burn in Hell, when you can ‘shine’ in the glory of the Master?

PRAYER: Why me Lord? What have I ever done to deserve God’s only Son and the glories of Heaven? But because of Your grace, and because of Your unconditional love, You provided Your precious Son so that I may call Heaven my eternal home. Thank You Jesus for tugging on my heart and encouraging me to surrender my life to Your will and way. Being reminded of Heaven and the meeting we will have with You, is enough to help me go on stronger in my faith today, and more encouraged to draw even closer to You each day through Your Word. Please Lord speak to my readers today, and remind my family and friends again today, that there is only one way for us to meet with You in Heaven, and that is to believe on You and have relationship with You here on earth. Please touch hearts today and draw Your people unto yourself, before it is eternally too late. 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!

Lukewarm – Neither Cold nor Hot

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

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-12-03
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 3:15-17
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 15 “I know your works. You are neither cold with apathy nor hot with passion. It would be better if you were one or the other, but you are neither. 16 So because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 You claim, ‘I am rich, I have accumulated riches, and I need nothing’; but you do not realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked. 

OBSERVATION: It seems like the church at Laodicea must have felt like they had everything ‘they’ needed to make it in life, and if they needed God for anything they would simply call on Him. I’m not sure that our churches today could identify totally with this, because we are constantly reaching for the stars, and money is usually needed for that. However, I believe that God didn’t see where they were actively pursuing His goal for His church. In fact, He considered them ‘lukewarm’. Do you suppose that applies to you and/or your church?

APPLICATION: It may be difficult for us to recognize the challenges of the church today, compared to what it was 1 year ago, because COVID challenges have given the corporate body such a different look. However, I believe we should first of all look inside at the attitudes and mindset of ourselves and think honestly whether God might consider us to be on fire for the Lord, or as this translations puts it, are we truly ‘hot with passion’ for God, and the things of God. For the temperature of our respective churches could only be measured by the total temperature of its members. But the challenge for you and I is to understand what must be happening if we are not hot with passion, for if we are not, then we are either ’cold’ or we are ‘lukewarm’. When a child of God comes to a place in their lives where their conscience is not affected when they sin, then I believe they have really become ‘Cold’ to the Spirit of God and couldn’t care less if they proceeded with action that they know will displease God. Oh how sad that must be for God to see such neglect from His children, for whom He sacrificed His one and only Son on the cross, out of the unconditional love that He had for us. But perhaps, you might consider yourself elevated from a point of being Cold in your relationship with God, but you are definitely not one of those Christian ‘fanatics’, as some call ‘sold out’ believers. Then I believe that you might be at a point where you like the idea of being associated with Jesus Christ, but you would just as soon keep that to yourself. You may attend church, but see no reason to attend every Sunday, as you do pretty good on your own. You believe that the Pastor and his lead gurus are the ones assigned to visiting the sick and doing the chores around church, so since you pay them for that, you see no reason to get involved. Friends, would someone with all those calculations impress you as a ‘sold out’ child of God? Remember, God knows every little detail about us, including our very own deepest and private thoughts. So when we do things to impress others about our relationship with God, we may succeed in pulling the wool over their eyes, but can you imagine the heart of God when He knows how His children could be so alive in His presence, yet choose to mislead and create falsehoods in the eyes of mankind? Is it any wonder why He said that the church at Laodicia made Him sick? Friends, the world needs Jesus, and unless they see Him in all of His glory through those who are called by His name, they may continue to believe that He is just a myth. Are you striving to nullify that myth for those you come into contact with, or are you helping to confirm to them that they are correct? There’s only one life to live here on earth dear friends, and you are living it each and every day – for Jesus, against Jesus, or as if you are really not sure. What might Jesus say about you? Will His heart melt from the love you portray, or will He vomit because of your contradictions and hypocrisies?

PRAYER: When I truly learned about all that You did for me on Calvary, I invited You into my heart to stay, precious Lord. My intent has always been that You might work miraculously in and through me, so that others might see very clearly that the God of this universe is alive and well. Please open my eyes to the things that distract and dilute my vision of You and therefore causes me to relax in my walk with You. Lord, I want to be a part of Your church body that is hot for the Gospel, hot for imitating my Father and hot for seeing my lost friends and family come to know You as Lord and Savior, before its too late. On behalf of my readers and I, please Lord renew Your church again. May our hearts burn within us for the urgent work of the Master in our communities and in our churches. We know that You will return soon to take Your church on home to glory. May we be found faithful, loyal and true right to the very end. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

The Reward For Obedience

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

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-12-01
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 3:10-11
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 10 You obeyed my message and endured. So I will protect you from the time of testing that everyone in all the world must go through. 11 I am coming soon. So hold firmly to what you have, and no one will take away the crown that you will be given as your reward.

OBSERVATION: One of the things that will win the attention of a child, is for a parent to promise a reward if they would …! Almost every time that will prove to be enough incentive to win the efforts of that child to obediently follow the parent’s command. While analyzing the seven churches in Revelation the angel told John that God would honor the obedience of the church at Sardis by protecting them against the testing that will come. Ponder this thought with me today as we analyze ourselves and our church to see if God might bless us for our obedience.

APPLICATION: No doubt each of us have pulled something off on our parents, or someone in authority over us. For example, they assumed that you did something great, while you know that you had a lot of help on it. You don’t bother to clarify the problem, because it left you looking pretty good in the eyes of the one who calls the shots on your progress, or your job! Sounds all too familiar? I bet you hold our breath hoping that the full story will not be revealed! However, it’s not like that with God, for He knows every little detail about our comings and our goings. And while we try very hard to look our very best in the eyes of our peers, our supervisors and our relatives, yet we hold our breath wondering how blunt and forgiving God will be when we meet Him face-to-face. I also reflect on how parents say to their children: I hope that you will appreciate all that I’ve done for you! Compare this to what I believe God will say to us: My child, while you were still a sinner, I sacrificed my only child so that you might rise above the sin of this old world and live eternally in the glories of heaven with my Son and I. Having failed on occasion was expected, because of the place where you lived and the people you came into contact with, but I knew your heart and your intent. When you invited me to be Lord of your life, I gave you a new beginning and the power to overcome Satan and his cohorts, so now I am happy to welcome you home where you will be at peace for evermore. Friends, if you believe in Jesus Christ, then I believe that you can affirm my assumptions that I just shared, because you are aware of the love of our Savior and the outstanding provisions that He has made for us. Unfortunately if you have not yet sought out the love of my Savior, then you may be challenged to appreciate what God said to the church at Sardis, or what I envisioned in seeing all that God has in store for us when we see Him face-to-face. But you are empowered to correct this challenge, because the Word of God says that whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Whosoever includes ‘YOU’ my friend. Notice also that there is no doubt in the reward, for God said that you WILL be saved. In case you’re curious, that means that you will be saved from the destiny of Hell which is reserved for all who have not accepted Jesus as Lord. My friend, I secured my destiny with Jesus and my prayer is that you too might do the same. Heaven is my eternal home, and I would love to see each of you there! Please contact me and allow me to show you the way!

PRAYER: Lord, we are thankful for all that You have done for Your children, and for what You do for us each and every day while we live here on earth. Being reminded of what You promised to the church at Sardis, reminds me that You will do the same for us when we follow You in accepting Your Son, and in closely adhering to Your commands. Please Lord, continue to lead us, direct us and guide us through every step here on earth. We look forward to being with You soon. Please keep us in Your care, following Your commands and living in full expectation of Your return to take Your church home to glory. 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 If We Are Given As We Deserve?

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

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2020-11-29
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 2:23-25
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 23 ….. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches deep within men’s hearts, and minds; I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24-25 “As for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, really), I will ask nothing further of you; only hold tightly to what you have until I come.

OBSERVATION: Imagine if God called you home at the very moment that you read this words, (very unexpected) and He told you that He will give you exactly what you deserve. What might that be? Would you cry out to Him to please proceed, as you can hardly wait for whatever God will dish out to you? I am a child forgiven by my Father, through the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, but I would tremble at such words from my Father, as I know that sin is eminent while here on earth. Think about this with me as we study these verses.

APPLICATION: I remember as a child hearing similar words from my parents – just wait until I get you home! Oh my, I still try not to think of the anxiety I endured, especially as I rehearsed the crazy acts of disobedience they witnessed from me in the presence of their friends. But I’m afraid that it is extremely challenging for us to consider our Lord being so rough on us. I believe that we often teach, and learn about the goodness of God, and we are so looking forward to His goodness for the rest of our time here on earth and even as we meet Him in glory, but in these verses we must try to understand what John shared about God planning do to the church at Thyatira. God was clear in His reasons for such action. It is important for us to remember that we have a God who loves us beyond any earthly description or imagination, but He is a just God who will do what He promised. We could read story after story in the Bible of God’s goodness, and we are blessed every time we read those accounts. However, we can also find numerous stories where God also allowed tremendous grief to individuals, families, cities and even countries when His frustration had reached His point of readiness for action. As in our story today, we must be reminded that God not only sees our actions and hears our outspoken words, but He knows our very thoughts. In other words, He knows the whole man/woman. He knows us as we are, not what we try to pretend we are in mixed company. So today, I believe we must put aside what position we might hold in church, or what size congregation we preach or teach to, and truly look inside of ourselves while asking God to enlighten us to our wicked ways, or our angry words, or our pretense of love shown to others. I believe that as long as we still have breath, we have time for God to begin a new work in us and make us more like Him. But only God can make a brand new man/woman. It is way too convenient for us to go easy on ourselves and overlook sin, because we have so many excuses as to why we did or said certain things. Let’s ask God for a pure heart and for the very presence of God inside of our dirty selves while we try to live out our days here on earth. People need the Lord, my friends, but it will do them no good to see His representatives acting like the devil and in opposition to all that God teaches us in His Word. Let go and let God, my friend.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are merciful and full of grace. Thank You for allowing Your precious Son to die on Calvary for my sin, even while I was yet a sinner. You showed pure love for me. Many of my friends reading this devotional will probably join hearts and voices in praising You Lord, for your goodness. And We will all agree that in spite of inviting You into our heart and asking for Your forgiveness, yet we are still so disrupted by the filth and sin of this world. Lord, we want so badly to be like You, so that the hearts of our circle of influence will be stirred up and touched while in our presence. Please work on us so that we may never fall into the category of the church at Thyatira. Help us Lord that as others encounter us, they will truly see enough attributes of our Savior that they will feel like they’ve been with the Lord. Have Your will and way in our lives Lord. 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 Would God Say About Your Church?

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

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-11-28
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 2:2-5
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 2 I know all that you’ve done for me—you have worked hard and persevered. I know that you don’t tolerate evil. You have tested those who claimed to be apostles and proved they are not, for they were imposters. 3 I also know how you have bravely endured trials and persecutions because of my name, yet you have not become discouraged.[c] 4 But I have this against you: you have abandoned the passionate love you had for me at the beginning.[d] 5 Think about how far you have fallen! Repent[e] and do the works of love you did at first.[f] I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place of influence if you do not repent.

OBSERVATION: John had a vision where an angel spoke on Behalf of God about how he felt about the seven churches mentioned throughout the book of Revelation. I believe that we will see characteristics of each of our churches in at least one or more of these churches. Of course, we must remember that ‘the church’ is a body of believers that gather to worship and serve God through their cooperation together, so we will see our own character in the descriptions of these churches. As we study the Word together, ponder in your heart how much you and/or your church corporately might be like the church at Ephesus. God saw the good, but He also challenged this church with her shortcomings, so protect your toes as you are challenged by what God has to say.

APPLICATION: Over the past number of years there came a time that I felt it was time for my family and I to move to a different church. Much to the dismay of a few members sitting near the door, I walked into the church on a Wednesday night looking for the prayer and Bible study group for adults. By the conclusion of that evening service, I called my wife and told her that I had found our next church, for the Word of God was taught very clearly, and the sincerity of the attendees was warm and heartfelt. Did I find the ‘perfect’ church? Perhaps not, as I found that there were neighborhood people passing our doors and going to a different church. Obviously they found indifference in at least one aspect of the ministry there. In the first of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation, God praised the Ephesian church for their hard work and perseverance. He was also pleased that they dealt appropriately with the evil personified among its members, and they also dealt with false teachers head on. I’m sure that church leaders would probably have stood to their feet in praise and thanksgiving if they were hearing these things as they were spoken of by the angel of God, because we all like to hear about the good that we do. However, God wanted this church to know that there was a very serious matter that still existed. They had lost their initial zeal for the Lord, and therefore their love was weakened for the Father and for the Brother or Sister who worshipped with them and served alongside them. Now I know that you and your pastor could probably read right over this, because this in no way describes you or your church, correct? Well, let’s give this some thought and see if God agrees with us. What’s different in your life today, compared to the moments following your conversion – when you gave your heart to the Lord? Are you as alive in the Lord, active in His Word, and praying in deep faith, as when you first accepted Jesus as Lord? Have you freely spoken to others about your faith recently? Remember how excited you were to tell the world about your Lord after you accepted Him as Lord? Are you richer in your faith today because of the time you have spent in His Word, and because of experiences that you have benefited from, through your faith and your prayers? What if your church consisted of only folk like you that answered these questions in similar form? Would God have room to say to your church what He said about the Ephesian church? I’ve experienced rich-spirited revival services where my spirit was revived and I felt on fire for the Lord again, but I haven’t heard of revival services recently, have you? Friends, I believe that God might be patiently awaiting the moment that you and I might come to Him and ask that He remove any obstacle that may dim our vision of Him and His wondrous works for us. Oh that we may see Jesus in His fullness and fall back in love with Him all over again! Surely our love for our brothers and sisters will benefit richly from our enhanced relationship with God.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand strongly in Your presence and boast of Your goodness to me. Please Lord, revive Your church again. Help us to always remember that You have promised to never leave us nor forsake us, so when we feel like there is distance between us, may we quickly invite You to look deeply into our hearts and lives and help us overcome the sin that has settled into our lives that separates us from You. May we always seek to worship You, adore You, thank You and welcome You into our lives so that we might renew a right spirit with us. You alone are worthy Lord, please work in our lives so that we might look more and more like You each day. 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!

Read It, Live It and Be Blessed

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Blessing, How to Live, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, State of Readiness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-11-26
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Revelation 1:3
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 Blessings come to those who read and proclaim these words aloud; blessings come to those who listen closely and put the prophetic words recorded here into practice. The finale is approaching.

OBSERVATION: In no other book of the Bible are we told to read it and be blessed, so I believe it is important that we concentrate on what might be the purpose of this verse today. The verse concludes with the tip that the finale of life here on earth is quickly approaching. Therefore it is important that we follow the commands right at the very beginning of this key book of prophecy.

APPLICATION: Whenever there is a bad storm approaching, many of us will go to our favorite app or television station or the website of our favorite weather station. We are looking for guidance on what to expect from the approaching storm, because history has shown us that friends either underestimate or over exaggerate in what they tell us, based on their limited knowledge. Now if we follow the warnings and the suggestions of our favorite weather person, we are most often blessed with safety and kept from eminent danger. The Bible is a compilation of biblical history, God’s wondrous works, His commands and His many promises. Because the Bible is God-inspired and God-filled, Christians stick to reading its pages so that they could hear first-hand from the God of this universe. Christians will tend to obediently follow what the Book teaches also, because they have gained confidence that He is the only One who truly knows what is going on, and what will go on until the time we meet Him personally in Heaven. The book of Revelation is one that many pastors tend to avoid, because it is so deep in prophecy. However, we can tell from this verse today that Revelation must be a book that God wants us to truly dig into and read it, because He tells us up front that if we do, and we obediently follow its teaching, we will be blessed. Based on this, don’t you know that God will not send us in this direction unless He plans to reveal to us what He intended for us to learn from this book’s content? Friends, we have never seen God send us in a direction using trickery. He wants us to read this book. He wants us to understand what He is saying to us and teaching us in this book. I believe God is standing at heaven’s portals with open arms waiting for His children to join Him around the throne. So I also believe that there is probably more urgency in this book than any weather person ever portrayed to us in getting us out of harm’s way. In fact, I see God using this book just as airports use its men at the arrival gates in carefully directing million dollar aircraft into a small gate. I believe that while God awaits our arrival He is carefully and lovingly directing our path in these last days here on earth. For much of our lives we have ‘done our own thing’ and wished for the best as we made key decisions about our next move. I believe that God is reminding us that only He knows what tomorrow will bring, so He has already done our homework for us and provided a key book that totally guides us through our few remaining days on earth. He has an awesome finale – homecoming, prepared for us. Let’s not mess up in our earthly journey, especially our final days!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we thank You for who You are, all that You have been to us, and all that You have promised to us after life here on earth. Please Lord, humble our hearts so that we might keep our eyes on Jesus and our mind in the Book. While we seldom question direction from our weather specialists, I pray that we will never question Your direction that You have carefully documented for us to follow, but instead be obedient to the will of our Father. 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!

May We Realize To Whom Thanksgiving Is Due

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Thankful, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-11-25
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Hosea 2:8
TRANSLATION: New English Translation (NET)

BIBLE TEXT: 8 “Yet[y] until now[z] she has refused to acknowledge[aa] that I[ab] was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil; and that it was I who[ac] lavished on her the silver and gold — that they[ad] used in worshiping Baal![ae]

OBSERVATION: Through many miracles, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, fed them and provided for them during their journey, and had a new country prepared for them to live – filled with milk and honey. One would imagine that everyday was a day of Thanksgiving for the Israelites, but the biblical account is quite different. In our Scripture today God lashed out at the lack of appreciation, and in the verses that follow this, God threatened all that He would withdraw from the Israelites. Meditating with me today may help us to better prepare for Thanksgiving Day this year, for I fear that we are very similar to our ancestors.

APPLICATION: I believe parents will agree that in the very early stages of child rearing, we tend to teach the idea of our kids saying thank you to anyone who gives them something. We have very special days of the year set aside to celebrate gifts given to us: 1). Christmas – gifts under the tree, and Christians also choose to give specials thanks to God for sending His one and only Son, born in deepest humility; 2). Easter – a special opportunity to thank God for raising His Son from the dead so that we may always know that we serve a risen and Savior who is alive! 3). Thanksgiving – although set aside as a time to celebrate our founding fathers who stopped and gave thanks for the new world and for God who directed their path and kept them safe, yet this has become a natural time of thanksgiving by Christians who recognize that it is only because of Jesus that we could celebrate our freedom to worship, live in prosperity and peace here on earth, and worship without government interference each Sunday. Unfortunately this has also become known as ‘Turkey Day’ because of the number of turkeys eaten by families on this day, but I pray that we will never forget to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day! So might we be drifting into being anything like the Israelites? Might God feel in the slightest that we are ungrateful, or that we worship other gods before Him? I believe that these are questions that each reader should strive to answer personally on the days above. What do you do on those days? How often each day do you strive to lift up holy hands and thank God for all that He has done, and is doing in your life? In Hosea 2:9 and following, God said that He would withdraw the things that He gave; He would put an end to the vain celebrations and that He would bring His people to their knees. Might He also do the same to us? Could God already be talking to us? I would suggest that you ponder the following events and see if you think God might be talking to us already in very bold ways: The 9-11 bombing; COVID-19; The increase of earthquakes (some in very strange and unbelievable places); The increase in hurricanes this year, etc, etc. There was a dad who once told his disobedient son ‘I brought you into the world, and I could easily take you out’! I’ve always heard people kid around about that, but don’t you know that statement applies to the God of this universe better than any man? We see story after story in the Old Testament where thousands of inhabitants were taken out by God, for various sins committed. We must be reminded that this is the same God that we serve today, so there is no question about whether He could follow through with what He says He will do. Friends, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh. Give thanks with a grateful heart this Thanksgiving Day!

PRAYER: With a heart of thanksgiving I come to You Lord Jesus and acknowledge all that You have blessed me with. Lord You are good and Your mercies are from everlasting to everlasting. Please forgive my readers and I for our bad manners – our ungrateful and unappreciative hearts, for way too often we take for granted how good You have been, and are, to us. Lord, if we will ever influence our circle of friends and family for the kingdom, we must learn to be a people who recognize You, Your awesome gifts to us, and Your promise of life eternally in heaven with You and the Father. May we be found faithful dear Lord. 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!

Imitate God and Do Good

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Imitate Jesus, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Representation of the Master, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-11-24
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: 3 John 1:11
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 11 Delightfully loved ones, don’t imitate what is evil, but imitate that which is good.[q] Whoever does good is of God; whoever does evil has not seen God.[r]

OBSERVATION: Living in this world we will come across those who are good and practice the ways and commands of God, but each day we are also subject to encountering those who are downright evil, and you would question if they may not have even heard of God. In the eyes of those that you come into contact with, they will also see you in one of these categories, based on your character and your attitude. I realize you don’t act in certain ways to please others, but as we meditate on this verse by John, let’s ask God to show us which areas of life we need to improve on in order to always look more like Him!

APPLICATION: Each day we are blessed to place our feet on the ground and encounter the world, others will be analyzing our character, our habits and our values. When we encounter praiseworthy things, others will see from the expressions on our face if we are thankful for those things, or if we are aggravated because we felt we were deserving of more. In a recent devotional, I used a verse from this same Book where John was thankful for the great testimony and works of Gaius. In the verses immediately preceding our focal verse today, John taught about the disappointing actions of Diotrephes in not respecting the work of the church leaders, and slandering those trying to further the work of the Lord. I wonder if John was not teaching from these very real examples when he taught that we should strive to do what is good if that is the testimony of God in our life. Then he may be warning us to be careful not to follow the evil practiced by some, like Diotrephes, for he acted like one who never even met God. But whether this was John’s intent or not, I do know that we will meet some in our path almost daily whose actions fit either Gaius or Diotrephes. Although we must be prepared with a mindset like our Lord to deal with others, we must daily prepare ourselves and determine in our own heart, with God’s help, whether we will portray God only in our attitudes and actions. If not, we will relax our guard and allow the natural self to just do and say what comes natural. I believe it is important to truly understand how John approached this – notice how he simply pointed out that doing what is good imitates what Jesus practiced here on earth and what He taught us to do in His Word. Doing evil demonstrates that we may not even know the King of all kings, but are mere imitators of our worldly master – Satan. Our lives will reflect whose we are. If you know my Savior, please aim to always imitate Christ in your life, dear one. Let’s not disappoint Jesus, the Messiah. Seek His help daily so that you will stand firm in the faith.

PRAYER: Lord You are good and Your mercies endure for ever and for ever, praise God! Please battle in our lives and work in our heart to help us represent You well. May we never dare to show evil towards our Brother or our Sister while also telling them that we are children of the King. For as children of God, may we always imitate and represent the Son of God so that others will be convinced of Your presence and Your work in our lives, Lord. John spoke this in its simplest form – if we do good, we are imitating God. If we do evil, we may not have ever known You. May it always be clear to the world whose we are. 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!

Guidance on Asking, Seeking and Knocking

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Righteous, Seek God First, Seek God's Face, Seeking God1 Comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-11-23
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

Bible Reference: Matthew 7:7–8
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

OBSERVATION: I believe that these verses must be looked at in light of all that Jesus covered in the earlier part of His sermon. In 6:33 Jesus taught that we are to seek the Kingdom of God above everything else, and live righteously, then God will give us what we need. So with that in mind, what do you suppose we would ask for, knowing our inadequacies and shortcomings? What will we seek after, knowing the wide expanse that separates us from the perfection of Christ, and why would we be knocking, but to enter into the presence of the Holy Son of God?

APPLICATION: We have just observed what God might be saying to us in this Scripture today, but how do we apply this to our everyday life? First of all, are we consistent in our asking? Do we even find time to pray, other than when we are in crisis mode? Our method of asking, or petitioning God is through ‘prayer’, yet most churches will tell you that it’s one of the worst attended services. I much prefer hearing people ask me to pray with them, than for them. For I am assured that they have some ‘skin in the game’ and have merely asked me to join them in prayer. Otherwise if they want me to pray for them, I might think that they don’t have time to pray, even though they know they need prayer, and have therefore asked me to pray for them. Jesus is telling us to ‘ask’, not to have someone ask for us. Jesus is also asking us to keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking. This tells me that we are to be persistent in doing these things. I once met a young person working at a prominent restaurant, and I asked how they landed the job. Persistence was the word, for they showed restaurant management that they were so interested in the job that they would keep on visiting the establishment, keep on asking for a job, etc. Guess what? He landed the job and looked extremely happy in his job. Now in the teachings of Jesus I believe that we have no doubt as to what we are to ask for or seek after, for we are to be a people who seeks after righteousness and have a deep desire to live like children of the King, therefore we will ask in line with our righteous desires and within the scope of God’s will. When you keep on knocking, you are acknowledging to God that you are once again at His feet pleading His perfect will for your life, with a deep desire to serve Him in complete righteousness. Jesus said that when we do these things, that He will not only hear our prayers, but He will meet our needs. Friends, we have so much that we ask God for, let’s aim at making those requests known to Him for the single purpose of making us, or the person we are praying for, more righteous in God’s sight, and that they, or you, may be drawn closer to God and His kingdom.

PRAYER: Lord, please continue to humble us to always and continuously seek Your face; ask for Your holy and generous hand of mercy and generosity upon our lives, so that we may be worked on and made right with You in every way. Lord, may we be consistent in knocking to ask for an audience with You on a frequent basis. May we be bold enough to join others in prayer so that we may encourage them and help them in their walk with You. Lord, please renew a great work in us today so that we may be more like You in every way, and may this attract the unsaved to desire intimacy with You. We must ask in full alignment with Your will dear Lord, because we acknowledge Your Lordship and Your sovereignty. Thank You precious Lord for accepting me as Your child. May I always live like a child of the King! 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!