At Least 2 Benefits of Your Giving

On 2020-06-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Giving, Needs, Offering, Praise, Recognize God, Tithe, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-06-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 9:11-14
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹¹Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help. ¹²So two good things happen as a result of your gifts—those in need are helped, and they overflow with thanks to God. ¹³Those you help will be glad not only because of your generous gifts to themselves and to others, but they will praise God for this proof that your deeds are as good as your doctrine. ¹⁴And they will pray for you with deep fervor and feeling because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you.

OBSERVATION: As a child you may have been given a quarter to through in the offering plate, and that may have increased as time went along, depending on the financial success of your parents. Hopefully as you matured, this idea of giving became more of a partnership with God, and obedience to God. For His Word gives adequate guidance on tithes and offerings. But as we meditate on the Scriptures today, I want us to be reminded that God has promised that He will be even more generous to us, so that we might be more generous to the needs of His ministry here on earth. Let’s anticipate catching on to the generosity of our awesome God, and consequently imitate our God by giving even more through our tithes and offerings.

APPLICATION: Perhaps we should dispel a few myths that Christians in our generation tend to hang on to in their giving: a). I disagree with church leaders about supporting a certain cause, and since I never attend a business meeting to have my say on the matter, I will just stop giving. Perhaps then they will not have enough money to continue supporting that cause; b). The church is sitting on way more money than I have in the bank, so I will ease up on my giving and force them to use some of their own funds to fund the operating account for a while; c). I have found a needy friend that I will give my tithes to, until further notice. It’s a godly purpose, for God wants us to care for the needy; d). Unfortunately, I have run up a lot of debt and don’t have enough free cash remaining to support my church – tithes and offering; e). I have never given the church more than $99.99 at one time, so there is no way that I will fork over a check for $1,000 for that recent gift left in my dad’s will for me. I may give $100, but no more. Friends, I have a few questions for us to consider: 1). Is there anything in the Scriptures about any of the above examples? 2). Might we be ok doing any of the above and find a good explanation for God to support our actions? And 3). Do you suppose that God will still give you more for you to do more of the same that you’ve been doing? A great reminder for us every day is that we can’t out-give God! However, to know that two great blessings result from our giving, is super exciting: 1). Those in need are helped, and 2). Those who receive will sing great praises to their King for His goodness. You see, God never expects us to give because of the praise we might receive from our giving. Instead, recipients will sing praises to the King of glory! So let me encourage you today dear friend, to give from a heart that has been blessed already by the bountiful gifts of our Maker. Know that you are giving to the work of the Lord, not for the use, or abuse of church leaders. Your church leaders are answerable to God, because they were put in place by Him (according to Scripture). You do your part, and allow them to do theirs, for you both will answer to God for your faithfulness to the tasks assigned to you here on earth. Lastly, let me suggest that you place priority on things that you will use your income for. God is my priority, so I choose daily to give Him the first fruits of my income, knowing that He will meet my needs in the other areas of my budget as I place my faith and trust in Him. If you are not already doing something similar, please consider making God first in all aspects of your life, especially in your finances. Others who are blessed will praise God for all that you gave!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for giving to me, thy great salvation so rich and free! Thank You also for blessing me financially! I am far from rich in the eyes of mankind, but You have given me more than enough to meet my daily obligations and to give of my tithes and offerings for the work of Your church and the needs of our community. Thank You for being such a generous God. Please touch the hearts of my readers as they evaluate their status on giving, and their true relationship with You. May we all place You first in all aspects of our lives, especially in the area of our finances, so that You may be lifted up by all mankind as they seek to know You personally and receive the free gift of eternal life. 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 Miracle of Giving From Fully Surrendered Saints

On 2020-06-23 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Giving, Miracles, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-06-23
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. ²They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. ³For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. ⁴They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.^[b] ⁵They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.

OBSERVATION: I believe that bank lenders may tend look at proposals from churches to build a multi-million dollar sanctuary, and they may wonder if the leaders have lost all sense of smart thinking and accountability. I believe the world looks at a congregation moving into a new building complex and they begin to evaluate internally if there are some drug runners attending that church, because they just can’t believe their own eyes that the congregation could afford such an elaborate building. Meditate with me on these verses from 2 Corinthians and let’s be reminded of how our Mighty God works in scenarios where His saints look to Him as the all-powerful, awesome God that He is!

APPLICATION: Notice a few very interesting points in these verses. While reviewing the facts surrounding the unexpected gifts from these churches in Macedonia, Paul immediately pointed out these were very poor churches, with various troubles going on at the time. Now, if we were to have God bless these hurting people, we would probably tell God to please settle their troubles for them so that their burdens might become lighter. We might also tell God to give them sufficient money to meet their needs so that they may not have an added financial strain on them. But how many of us would ever think of asking God to encourage them to give more. Never in a million years would we think of something so extraordinary. But fellow believers, let’s be reminded today of the awesome God that we serve. When people who are blessed beyond measure financially give, we tend to praise God for them. However, when the poorest congregations out give the churches in a community, we could only praise God for miraculously using them as His agents of hope, and to richly bless them in giving. It becomes very evident that it is only God, and nothing, or no one else who could be lifted up for the gifts that result. I believe that the most significant words in these verses come from verse 5, where Paul explains how the saints gained the attention of their Master – they gave themselves to God first, then they gave themselves to the leaders God had chosen to lead them through this special time in their lives, and the life of His church. In various denominations today churches are ruled in various ways. Some are Pastor led; some are Elder led; and some are directed and led by the church body. Regardless, the churches gave themselves to their leaders. I believe this means that they committed to God that because they were praying so consistently, persistently and regularly for His representatives/leaders at their church, they would be comfortable following God’s direction or theirs. It seems evident to me that God saw the humility of His saints in these churches; He knew the needs that existed in their community; and He knew their hearts cry to give generously for the work of the Lord, even if they had no idea where the money was coming from. God knew that His blessings would not be overlooked or abused by these congregations, and that they would be humble in allowing Him to give generously through them to this important cause. So where do we go wrong in our churches today? Of course, the church is made up of people, so we must ponder what has gone south, or wrong, with God’s people today? I would dare say that we struggle in getting over ourselves. I’m not sure if we truly know what it means to fully surrender to God, much less to each other. Friends, our Father is the giver of all good and faithful gifts from above, but He’s not a robot for which we turn on a switch for gifts to flow in certain areas of our lives. Through a one-on-one relationship with Jesus our Savior, He knows our every need and He knows when we need something, and how much we need. He needs no directing from us. He simply needs our dedication to Him and our total trust in Him. He will supply all our needs, and it will be obvious to the world that our giving is far greater than anything we could possibly come up with. Let’s look for the opportunities to lift up our God and sing His praises. As He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself. May I encourage you today dear friend, to surrender your all to Jesus, and allow Him to be God in every way. He will be praised for His awesome works!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, we stand humbly before You acknowledging that we are nothing without You. In spite of the many needs that we feel like we have, yet You are so very capable of doing it again – giving generously through a people that have no means to give. Make it obvious Lord that You are in control, and that You alone can fulfill our every need. There is so much that we want to do in the name of ministry, but You alone know what and when something is needed so that Your mighty works might be accomplished. In Your time; in Your space and through Your awesome power, please have Your will and way in our lives, so that we may meet the needs of our community – especially their need for a Savior. Bless as only You can, in Your perfect timing! AMEN!

Those Who Love The Father, Also Love His Children

On 2020-06-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Christian love, Love, ObedienceLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-06-20
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: 1 John 5:1-4
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: If you believe that Jesus is the Christ—that he is God’s Son and your Savior—then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love his children too. So you can find out how much you love God’s children—your brothers and sisters in the Lord—by how much you love and obey God. Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and really, that isn’t hard at all; for every child of God can obey him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him.

OBSERVATION: Whenever asked if we really love someone, we try to find ways that might suitably express how the concerned person might publicly see and understand that we love the person, and how much we love them. Sometimes that could be a challenging experience, for it is hard to explain to someone else how much you love someone. Often the recipient of your love will know, but for either of you to express that to a third party presents a challenge. Until now! Please meditate with me on this Scripture and learn first hand how God said that you could show if you are capable of loving others!

APPLICATION: Do you love God? How about God’s children, do you love them also? I bet I should have put those questions right at the end of my ’Application’, because by now you have probably answered ‘yes’ to both and about to close out of this devotional! Not So Fast Brother! Wait a moment Sister! Through John, God has actually given us the formula for measuring how well we’re doing on this! We are told in these verses today that the degree to which we love fellow believers is proportionate to how much we love and obey God. Ok, so I’m sure that you will assume you must truly love one another, because you know that you really love God. But do you really? The Word declares that the love referenced here is not just a verbal thing, or a feeling, but instead if we truly love God, we will do what He tells us to do. For some that will be easy, because we pray and we seek God’s face through His precious Word. When we truly do this and not only listen to His commands, His teachings, His instructions for us, and His example that He set for us to follow, then we should know what to do. Friends, you may not just learn this from the pastor in a weekend sermon, or from a Bible teacher, but to know what Jesus really has in store for you, it is important that you have regular one-on-one communion with your maker. Don’t know where to start? You may want to follow a good devotional, such as the one you’re now reading, or you may want to look for a Bible Reading Plan of your own. Whatever you decide, just remember to seek God’s face first – as it takes the Spirit of God to truly open your eyes to the spiritual truths of our awesome God. Not much of a reader? It doesn’t matter, when you seek God’s face first and ask Him to open your mind to His, you will find that what may appear to be simple words on a page, actually reveals the perfect will of God for your life right where you’re at during that very moment. Highlight as He speaks to you, and make notes to remind you how He spoke to you that day. Now, todays scripture says that through loving God and obeying all that He instructs you, then you will defeat sin and evil pleasures. Your love for God will become so pure and so real, that you will also love everything that God loves and everyone that He loves. So are you struggling with any part of this today friend? Try following this instruction for at least seven days, and I believe God will give you a burning desire to continue doing the same for the rest of the time you remain here on this earth! Love and obedience to God leads to love for the brethren friend! Imagine standing before family and friends at the funeral of your dearest friend and trying to explain to them how much you loved the deceased. There will be many things that you might be inclined to share that may prove you had love for the deceased, but wouldn’t it be mind blowing if you opened this Scripture is simply quoted how God said you could prove your love for others? God being our helper, I pray that we could now more easily show others how much we care, how much we love, and how they could see proof of it, because of our relationship with the God of all love!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You not only tell us to love one another, but You have even gone the extra step of showing us just how to accomplish that. How unfortunate, that a God who sacrificed His only Son for us on Calvary, must now tell us how important it is for us to love You. How deep the Father’s love for us, in spite of our unworthiness. Yet how easy it is for us to say that we struggle in loving our Christian Brothers and Sisters, even when we don’t fully appreciate the love of our Father, or see fit to obey His simple commands. Please forgive us dear Lord and continue to draw us to Yourself with an even deeper determination to love and obey You. I sincerely thank You for Your love, and for all these things I have asked throughout this devotional, for it is in the precious and loving name of Jesus that I ask, AMEN!

A New Life Has Begun!

On 2020-06-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, New beginnings, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-06-19
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁶So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, merely as a human being like myself. How differently I feel now! ¹⁷When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!

OBSERVATION: Ever heard someone referred to as ‘one whose life has been totally changed from the inside out’? What about ‘a leopard who could never change their spots’? Or perhaps ‘that young man has a demon inside of him and I don’t know that anyone could get through to his heart’? I am inviting you to meditate with me today on the Scriptures, where Paul is telling his church at Corinth, and God is subsequently telling us, that when His Holy Spirit entrees into the heart of man, ‘A New Life Begins’! This is exciting, and something each of us would want to see in some of our friends who seem so hard to reach for Jesus.

APPLICATION: I love to sit and watch the TV show ‘Fixer Upper’! It seems about impossible, the transformation that an old house that could easily be chosen by many to knock down and destroy, yet the hosts of the show will catch a glimpse of what they could do to transform that old house into a very desirable and valuable home for a new owner! But what about you and I? With all of our imperfections and sin, yet when we stand before the God of this universe, who is perfect in every way, yet He is able to reach out His hand and, soften our hardened hearts and call us to Himself! Friends, when you think about our God, I would strongly encourage you to lay aside such words as: a). Coincidence – for our God is best at strategizing our appointment with Him. This might be through you bumping into an old pastor unexpectedly in the grocery store without realizing that he had been praying for you through recent trials in your life; b). Good luck – you know, the kind where we attribute the recent gift to be just out of mere luck, while mom saw your need and was praying hard that God would meet that need for you! Or c). A hardened heart was melted – you had gotten so hardened about God after you felt like He took your spouse away from you at a time when your children needed their parent most. Yet recent circumstances have been very obvious that God had sought you out and been calling you to Himself very loud and clear. Friends, from the very beginning, when God created us in His own image, He wanted us to be just like Him, and He wanted us to center our lives and our worship around the One who created us. By placing us on this earth, we quickly adopted its sinful ways. But this didn’t catch God by surprise, He already had a plan in place to redeem us of our sin, if we sought after it. This redemption, or salvation, is meant to cleanse us of our sin and return us to ‘like new’ condition. In fact, people would look at us and wonder if it’s the same person. The process would also cleanse our heart in such a way that we would no longer love the things of that would lead us into temptation, nor to lie in order to get our own way. In fact, our contacts may become confused between us and the Savior of the Word that they had heard so much about. Friends, I believe the Scripture is telling us that God did not create us to make us comfortable in the ‘old skin’ of sin and shame. Instead He has already prepared a home for those of us that listen to God, seek His forgiveness and allow Him to make us ’like new’! I made that decision many years ago, and my aim every day is to imitate Jesus in every way. For those who haven’t surrendered to this truth yet, please know that you have no assurance as to the day God will take you out of this world. To know Him intimately will assure you a place in heaven. To do nothing is accept the ongoing kingship of the world – Satan – And his domain is a place called Hell. The decision is yours my friend. My prayer is that I will see each of you in Heaven at the throne of my Savior and Lord!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You for Your wondrous love for each of us. You have opened the doors to heaven, and You have shown us the necessary steps to accept Your precious gift and walk through those doors. Although many who will read this devotional have made this most important decision to accept You as Lord and Savior, I know that many have procrastinated or have made many other excuses to explain the unimportance of this. Please speak through Your Word today. Please use this blog to open the minds and hearts of many that will happen across this. Please soften hardened hearts so that right decisions will be made, even today. Thank You Lord for saving my soul. May my life be an inspirations to others that will serve to open blinded eyes and soften hearts towards the truth of Your Word. AMEN!

Aim to Always Please Christ in Everything

On 2020-06-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Pleasing to God, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-06-18
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 5:9-10
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹So our aim is to please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in heaven. ¹⁰For we must all stand before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid bare—before him. Each of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly body.

OBSERVATION: What if you evaluated your life at the end of every day on how well you feel like you pleased the Father? What will you need for that evaluation? I see this as quite different to an evaluation you may have completed for a marriage counselor regarding your responses to your spouse or children that day. Join me as we meditate on this Scripture that God has placed before us today through His servant Paul.

APPLICATION: Generally, if we were to complete a daily evaluation of ourselves as a spouse, we would consider things we know that really pleases our spouse, based on past compliments! Often we will watch other successful marriages and try to imitate some of the things they do for each other. Every once in a while we might pull out the marriage vows and see if we are living up to those, and we may even sacrifice a fishing trip to attend a marriage enrichment class with our spouse. But what can we do to make sure we are pleasing Christ in everything we do? Friends, I’m afraid that you will find this a lot more challenging than anything one, or any one else in our lives. You see, we could pull the wool over the eyes of our spouse, for they have no idea what is going on at work unless you tell them. They have no idea that you lost your cool at a PTA meeting, when they couldn’t attend. However, in the case of our Father, He not only knows about what we tell Him, but He knows our every thought, our every intention, and our every attitude towards certain things or people. Part of our honest relationship with God is telling Him everything, and not holding back. I believe that God loves us more than anything else He created, and I believe it would be His ultimate pleasure to usher us into His heaven as His children who have lived according to His plan and purpose. Our guide while here on earth is His precious Word. He has everything detailed for us in that Book, but He wants us to commune with Him daily as we open His Word and read what He has in store for us that day. Our time with Him in prayer should be around seeking His face on how we might handle life that day, and how we might apply His Word that day to draw us closer to Him, and/or to please Him better that day. Many of you are doing this already, but for those who falter or fall short, God provided these verses today to remind us and to redirect our thoughts and our aim towards always pleasing Him with every fiber of our being each day.

PRAYER: Precious Lord Jesus, You made a way for us when it appeared to everyone that there was no way. You opened the floodgates of heaven for us when we thought we would die of thirst and of hunger. You made a way in the wilderness and through the River for our ancestors to cross safely over to the land which You had promised them. I have absolutely no doubt that You will continue to provide for Your saints, so Lord I implore You to open our eyes of understanding and give us boldness to hold our hands out to You so that You may fill us with Your grace and Your bountiful gifts to see us through each day that remains here on earth. We live in anticipation of the day when we will join You in Heaven, but until that time comes, may we be Your hands and feet here on earth so that others may see, know and believe in the Lord God Almighty. AMEN!

A Precious Treasure – Its Purpose in Our Lives

On 2020-06-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Purpose, Recognize God, Treasure, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-06-17
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us^[c]—is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own. ⁸We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. ⁹We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. ¹⁰These bodies of ours are constantly facing death just as Jesus did; so it is clear to all that it is only the living Christ within who keeps us safe.^[d]

OBSERVATION: What ’treasure’ is Paul referring to in our Scripture today? Why do we need this ‘treasure’? What are the benefits of having this ‘treasure’? These are all great questions that we will meditate on today, and hopefully walk away feeling enriched because of the ‘Treasure’ that is ours through Jesus Christ – God’s one and only Son.

APPLICATION: There was such a vacuum left for the Christian when God allowed His Son to die on Calvary’s cross, that He proceeded with something that He promised, He gave us the Comforter. In this reference ‘us’ means the Christian. So at the moment that we invite Jesus to rule and reign in our lives, the Holy Spirit/Comforter comes in to not only rule and reign, but to lead, direct, comfort and help us maintain a right relationship with God right here on earth. Because the Holy Spirit resides inside of us, we can look at that place of residence as a ‘container’ in which the Holy Spirit lives. The type ‘container’ referred to by Paul in verse 7 above. When this happens, Paul gives a few illustrations of the benefits to us:
1. Paul assures us that the power within us is then far greater than anything we have ever experienced before, for it is not our own power but that of the God who created the whole world;
2. Paul assures that although we may be under intense pressure, and feel like we are being pressed in by the extreme weight of the world, yet we could expect to stand firm, and not be crushed or broken!
3. Paul told us that we will still feel intense stress over the various things that occur all around us, but we will be comforted and never want to give up or give in!
4. Paul said that we may still feel like we are, at times, hunted down like animals, but the Holy Spirit will constantly remind us to never abandon our faith, or the God who loves us unconditionally!
5. Paul reminded us that we will feel knocked down at times and we are merely waiting for the count, but we have a comforter who stands battle for us and we will therefore get back up, and moving on to continue God’s work, until He comes!

Friends, know that our Redeemer lives and that He has the power, grace and love to give us our own bodyguard, encourager and friend to see us through the rest of this life. Perhaps you might be struggling in one or more areas mentioned above. If you are a child of the King, please be reminded that God has you covered. He protects His own, supplies our every need and defends us while here on earth. Look up my friend, for my Redeemer lives, and He will soon return to take His children home to glory to be with Him throughout eternity. We have that assurance, so there is no need for worry while we wait for His return!

PRAYER: What an assurance that Jesus is mine! What an assurance that Jesus will return for me someday soon! What an assurance that Jesus provided everything I need here on this old wicked earth, so that I may be safe in His arms even while still here. Thank You, thank You, thank You Lord Jesus for loving this old humble man. My friends will read this blog and they will need a similar assurance as I received this morning. Please Heavenly Father, touch the hearts and souls of all who will stop by and ponder this today. Please draw them unto Yourself and fill them with the assurance of salvation that leads to life eternally in heaven with You. I love You Lord, and I life my voice in worship and praise to You, my King! AMEN!

Blinded Eyes are Opened

On 2020-06-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-06-16
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 3:13-16
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹³We are not like Moses, who used a veil to hide the glory to keep the Israelites from staring at him as it faded away.^[g] ¹⁴Their minds were closed and hardened, for even to this day that same veil comes over their minds when they hear the words of the former covenant. The veil has not yet been lifted from them, for it is only eliminated when one is joined to the Messiah. ¹⁵So until now, whenever the Old Testament^[h] is being read, the same blinding comes over their hearts. ¹⁶But the moment one turns to the Lord^[i] with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes it’s just the little things from everyday life that causes us to recognize the greatness of God! Think about this: there are times when we notice friends just having a brain freeze over the things of God. They just don’t get it, we tend to look in wonderment of what must be wrong with them, or what must be causing this mind block. I don’t believe that we do this in a condescending way, but it’s usually something very clear and understandable to us, yet our friends, who are very intelligent, just don’t get it. God used Paul to help the Corinthian church, and us, understand why this happens. Be open to God’s Word as we meditate, dear friends.

APPLICATION: One of the key phrases I discovered, and loved in this Scripture today is ‘when one is joined to the Messiah’! I pray that this phrase may also snatch the hearts of many as you join me in this study today, for this alludes to the fact that there are definite benefits to becoming one with Christ. Similar verbiage is used around marriages, for that union also comes with benefits. What’s different for us, is that God designed and made us; He had a purpose for us being born, and He made the ultimate sacrifice of giving His Son on Calvary so that we can continue glorifying Him in heaven for all eternity. This was very much God’s design for us! However the greatest advantage to this exciting Scripture today is that it was God’s design that we gain additional insight and knowledge about all that God had in store for us, and what He has in store for us throughout eternity, when He knows that we could handle that. I believe that with the way we are designed, we would have been so extra busy looking for ways to work around God’s commands, if we did not understand why we are the ‘apple’ of His eye. We could also recognize how we tend to use this same method of educating our kids, if we feel like they are not ready to handle such intense, long reaching information. Imagine being educated on advantages of being God’s special child, if you had never heard about how this is possible, when we are human and God is not? Added to that, what if you had never met anyone who actually followed through with accepting the Lord Jesus in a personal relationship with Him? I believe that what we often miss is that God and God alone is supreme, and we are not. If we are missing something, it doesn’t mean that God has missed something in designing us. What it does mean is that God has a plan for us, and as we place our faith and trust in Him, He will open the floodgates of Heaven to bless us, to provide for us and to direct our every path so that He might be glorified, even through us! Faith means that you are willing to follow through in total obedience to God’s commands, even if you don’t know why, or what, the result will be. When you are obedient even in these circumstances, I believe that God will follow through in blessing you beyond anything you could imagine or wish for. He alone is God. Learn to trust Him faithfully in all His commands, because of His love for you!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love, Your mercy, Your grace and the awesome knowledge that You bless us with – when You know that we are ready for it. Please bless us with what we need to know, when we need to know it, so that the individual You have caused to cross our path each day will be drawn to You. Thank You Lord Jesus for granting me peace about the knowledge I need for each and every day. Be glorified through every act and deed Lord, so that all my circle of influence might see You and desire to know You as Lord. AMEN!

The Perfume of Christ

On 2020-06-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship4 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-06-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴…. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume. ¹⁵Our offering to God is to be the perfume of Christ that goes out to those who are being saved and to those who are being lost. ¹⁶To those who are being lost, this perfume smells like death, and it brings them death. But to those who are being saved, it has the sweet smell of life, and it brings them life. So who is good enough to do this work? ¹⁷Certainly not those who are out there selling God’s message for a profit! But we don’t do that. With Christ’s help we speak God’s truth honestly, knowing that we must answer to him.

OBSERVATION: These verses reminded me that when we share the love, and hope of our Lord and Savior with others, it will seem like a death sentence to some, but to others it will bring life, hope and encouragement. However Paul warned his church, and God is warning us today through this passage, that the gospel will impact our listeners. For some it will smell like death, and for others like life. For this to happen, God’s children must share what’s inside of them. Let’s evaluate if we are openly sharing with others today!

APPLICATION: We associate so closely with family members that we can often finish their phrases in conversation! Many of us are employed, and we know most employees because of something that occurred, or was said during an encounter with them. For those readers who attend church, no doubt you will know many of the attendees, and some may have even become friends, in similar for to what I explained about employees. I believe you might agree with me that we walk away from certain encounters feeling really good about some of the people in the group, while we are still very skeptical of some. For those that don’t speak up, or acknowledge in some way that they were in a setting with you, I believe that you might walk away unmoved, or unaffected by them. But what about the undecided, or the unsaved? Don’t you think that they probably look up to those who appear happy in their relationship with the Lord, hoping that they could better understand what’s different, and how they managed to gain such peace? If we therefore have nothing to share, don’t you suppose that this friend might wonder if they misjudged you, because you obviously have nothing good to share about the Christ they thought lives inside of you? Friends, I truly believe that we have become so afraid of rejection (not wanting to hurt our pride), that we neglect to say or do the perfect will of our Lord. Are we ashamed? Are we embarrassed? Do you suppose that He might be ashamed or embarrassed of us for not sharing the awesome news of the One who rescued us from our guilt, shame and sin? Remember, He sacrificed His very own Son so that we might have the means of entering heaven with Him one day. There is no greater gift than that, my friend! I’m sure that many will respond that they are not a preacher or Bible scholar, so they stay away from trying to preach or witness. Be reminded dear one, that I would recommend that you share your story – about the One who saved you and gave you peace about eternal life. That will be way more powerful than trying to read the first 12 chapters of the New Testament to your listener, and you don’t have to be a theologian to share your story! I would also suggest to any reader that may have the gift of preaching or teaching, that if you avoid sharing the sweet perfume of Christ with those under the sound of your voice, I feel like you have just wasted their time and yours. In 99.9% of cases, they came to hear about Jesus Christ, so give them the truth of the Gospel without wasting their time. Also, the Word of God is intended for Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, man and woman, king and servant, so there is no respecter of persons. Jesus gave His life for all, so let us share His Good News with all, so that they may know and believe in the same Lord and Savior as we do. These verses does not refer to religion, Church denominations, or the like, so share Christ and Him alone – for His glory and our avenue of worship to Him!

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for giving us Jesus! Thank You for the awesome sacrifice You made so that we might enjoy eternity with You. There is no better news that we could share with loved ones than this. There is nothing better than meeting people who long to have what we have. Please Lord, make us bold and give us courage to gladly share our story. You redeemed us and made us fit for Heaven! Thank You Jesus! Now help us to share that good news with everyone that we meet. AMEN!

Last Word – Worship Him and Keep His Commands

On 2020-06-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-06-06
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹³And, when all is said and done, here is the last word: worship in reverence the one True God, and keep His commands, for this is what God expects of every person. ¹⁴For God will judge every action—including everything done in secret—whether it be good or evil.

OBSERVATION: When mom or dad warns that this is their last word on the subject, we tend to stop what we are doing, or thinking, and pay close attention! In the last two verses of Ecclesiastes, we are given a similar warning by Solomon. In both cases we receive consequences for our actions after the warnings. No matter what your age might be as you read this devotional, please stop and pay close attention to how you are responding to the warnings given to us by God through His servant, Solomon. It’s a matter of life (eternally – in Heaven) or death (eternally – in Hell).

APPLICATION: In ‘old-school’ parenting, our parents may have stood with a belt in their hand when they warned us that their response to us on a particular request is ‘final’. We knew this meant that if the request is brought before them again, it meant that we had no intention of obeying their first response, because now we are hoping to change their minds to give a more positive response! But what does this all mean to the Christian who searches our God’s Word for the course of action they should take on a questionable subject? Perhaps we read into God’s response that perhaps His response was intended for the neighbor on the other side of the street; or perhaps that we misunderstood what He was actually instructing us to do the first time; or even that we totally ignored what we thought He was saying, since it was so negative compared to what we wanted to hear? Friends, over the years I have learned that in trying to obtain a correct answer to a dilemma, we could pose a question in a certain way so that we receive an answer that we want. Another person with no skin in the game could pose the question in their own way and receive a very different answer! I don’t believe for a minute that God would vary on His response to us, but I do believe that we could very easily tune out parts of the response that we don’t want to hear. The bottom line is, that when we approach the throne of God for help or direction in a matter, we had best put all personal agendas aside, because we are taught in the Word that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. You see, God is all-knowing and He has a plan for us. He knows every little itsy bitsy thought, word or action from us. He also knows what He has in store for us tomorrow and throughout eternity. So when we ask for His permission to go to the North Pole, and He has plans for us to minister to someone in the far South, His GPS directions for us to safely arrive at our destination will look a whole lot different to whatever Garmin might be telling you. In fact, you might even question if He even understood your request! Friends, please join me as we listen closely to Solomon in our study verses today. His last words to us is that we be loyal in worshipping the King of all kings. He’s the One who made us; He has a plan for our lives; and He is already preparing a place for us to occupy when He calls us away from this world of sin and hardships. Secondly, we are to obey the commands of our Heavenly Father. What are those commands? Read the Book, for God has included all of His commands in His precious Word – the Bible. He knew that we would need a Book of Instructions, so He gave us one, and He placed His Holy Spirit inside of us to help us understand and obey His commands. We need no other GPS, for He has directed us in His Word what to do, where to go and what to say. Oh that we would learn to be obedient soldiers/children/servants.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thankfully You made us, so You know full well how stubborn we are and how we tend to try and do our own thing even when You have the ‘wheel’ and are directing us in the right path. Please forgive us for our human stubbornness and our selfish wills. You have already spoken to many of us and given us Your last word, please help us to be obedient to our Father, our Deliverer, our King, our Savior – the One who loves us more than life itself. May our hearts and our lips be filled with constant praise as we worship You each and every day, and no matter what level of education we may have, I pray that You might impress upon us every day to follow Your commands that You designed for our good. Lord we look forward to being with You some day soon when you are ready for us, but while here on this earth, may we look and sound just like You – the One who created us in His own image and prepares us each day for our heavenly home. AMEN!

Do It Well – While You Can

On 2020-06-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Evangelize, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Share, Share God’s Word, Teach, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-06-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷So here is what you should do: go and enjoy your meals, drink your wine and love every minute of it because God is already pleased with what you do. ⁸Dress your best, and don’t forget a splash of scented fragrance. ⁹Enjoy life with the woman you love. Cherish every moment of the fleeting life which God has given you under the sun. For this is your lot in life, your great reward for all of your hard work under the sun. ¹⁰Whatever you find to do, do it well because where you are going—the grave—there will be no working or thinking or knowing or wisdom.

OBSERVATION: I once heard a senior employee ask ‘What’s the least we could do, and still get by without being fined for missing the mark on that new regulation?’. I am convinced that this is the attitude of many employees who try to do just enough to not be challenged by management. What about your Christian life, do you have it down to a science on the minimum that God might approve of? The wisest king that ever lived was used by God to tell us that whatever we find to do, give it our all, because this might be the only opportunity to do it at all. Let us seek the wisdom of God as we meditate on this thought today.

APPLICATION: Whether you are an employee, or an employer that happened across this devotional, I believe that it doesn’t take long to recognize those employees who: can’t do enough for their employer; while others will do only enough to maintain their job and earn a paycheck; while others really don’t care enough about whether they keep their job or not, for they are just not going to kill themselves over a job! The company/employer will go a long ways in successfully achieving its goals with some employees, while battling to stay in business with other employees. But what about the church? Supposedly filled with people who are trying to live up to the principles taught by Jesus, yet undependable and uncommitted to the work of the Lord. Oops, too harsh? Perhaps, but folk it is time that we take it seriously what Jesus ordered in Matthew 28:19-20, that we are to: 1) Go into all the world; 2) Baptizing those that we come into contact with, and influence; and 3) Teach them to obey all the commands given by the Master. So please allow me to ask you a very pointed, but important question: Since accepting Jesus as your personal Savior, which of the three commands above have you flourished in and which do you struggle in? Does church attendance satisfy either of these commands? What about the banner that you carry that reads: ‘I’m a Christian’ – does your display of that banner count as obedience to either of these commands? Please stop for a moment and carefully analyze how you would rate yourself in responding to today’s Scripture on being a Christian, or obeying the commands of our Savior. Are you doing well with the honor of being a child of God? Notice that Solomon said that you only have today to do it well. When your time here on earth expires and you have been laid to rest, you will no longer have opportunity to Go, Baptize nor Teach those that need the Lord. Is your time well spent now dear friend? Neither in the Matthew reference nor in the Ecclesiastes reference does God give you the opportunity to ask the pastor, or your Sunday School teacher, or your elder, or a good friend to do these things for you. As you meditate today, let me encourage you to think about how you will respond to God when He asks how you did in these areas. Will you be proud to report, or will you be ashamed and disappointed that you never even tried? It’s not too late, ask your pastor how you might get involved in ministry at your church. After you pick him up off the floor he will gladly steer you in the right direction. He wants you to be involved in ministry!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, please forgive us for doing only enough to get by and perhaps look good in the eyes of our pastor. We are reminded that You sacrificed Your one and only Son, Jesus, because of Your love for us. Yet we find excuse after excuse why we can’t do something in your vineyard. We ignore the pleadings from our pastors for help in many areas of ministry. We find it impossible to commit to giving of our time or finances. Please embolden Your church and speak to our hearts once again about the need for ministry right in our own homes, in our neighborhoods, our churches and our country. Oh Lord, how will they know if we don’t tell them. Please help us to be so proud of our Father that we will gladly share about Him and our relationship with Him, so that You may be honored and praised even here on this old earth. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Bible Fellowship Church