Tag: Blessed

Blessed By God’s Standards

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

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-12-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 6:20-23
TRANSLATION: New Century Version (NCV)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 Jesus looked at his followers and said,
“You people who are poor are blessed, because the kingdom of God belongs to you. 21 You people who are now hungry are blessed, because you will be satisfied. You people who are now crying are blessed, because you will laugh with joy.
22 “People will hate you, shut you out, insult you, and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be blessed. 23 Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.

APPLICATION: Many of you are probably familiar with ‘The Beatitudes’. However, some refer to these as godly standards by which we should live. When Jesus returned to the plains from His all-night prayer time with His Father, He delivered what is considered by many as the greatest sermon ever taught. This is due in part because the sermon is a repeat of one previously taught by Jesus on the mountain to a similar crowd. Because the sermon is recorded in the Bible, all of us who claim Jesus as Savior of our lives, also receive this sermon every time we read the Scriptures. So what shall we do with these challenging words of Jesus? I recommend that you refresh yourself on the content of this full chapter in Luke – the whole sermon. But I feel compelled to share a prayer written by one of my favorite commentaries on the Bible, Jon Courson. This will be posted under my ‘Prayer’ section of this devotional. Take it to heart friends and be blessed of God!

PRAYER: Let’s pray.…
“The standards, Lord, of Your kingdom—of giving, blessing, forgiving—are qualities I lack in and of myself. Therefore, I need forgiveness, and I embrace You as my Saviour. I bask, Lord, in Your grace. I plead Your blood. I invite You to come into my heart again, Lord. And in so doing, to allow my life to more completely display these qualities. Strip from me, Lord, hypocrisy. Take from me, Lord, attitudes of judgment or condemnation. Keep me, Lord, from being one who hears the Word, but doesn’t build my life thereon. I pray that my life might truly be built upon the Rock, that as the storms come, I might stand in that day. So, by the Spirit, and in the Spirit, I absorb these teachings, this message, and pray that I might do unto others as I would that they would do unto me. Make me like You, Jesus. Allow me to be one who is more concerned about compassion than tradition. Allow me to be one who responds to Your commandments rather than argue why they can’t be done. I pause in Your presence, asking You to do Your work in my life. Set me free, Lord, to be a liberator and lover of others as I look to and love You.” AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

Blessed By The Lord!

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

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-07-20
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 115:14-18
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 14 May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
16 The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.
17 The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave.
18 But we can praise the Lord –  both now and forever! ** Praise the Lord! **

OBSERVATION: A current Christian Contemporary song is out, that does an excellent job of utilizing some of the words of this Psalm – The Blessing! I have linked a children’s version of the song, so if you click on the title, you could listen to it while meditating on this devotional! I feel like this is an excellent reminder that God loves us beyond anything we could imagine or hope for. He wants to bless us, so that we may go on to bless others and draw them to a personal experience with our Maker. Take a moment to meditate with me as we look deeper into these verses.

APPLICATION: These verses succeed a reflection by the Psalmist where he drew closer to God while remembering how much God showed the Israelites how much He had loved them. But notice that in these verses the Psalmist reminded us that the dead are unable to praise God for His goodness, but for those still living, we could praise the Lord. From the preceding verses we could tell that God will bless those who trust in Him, and those who fear Him with reverence and respect. The words heralded by the Psalmist may very well have originated from the words spoken by God to Abraham, when he was told that he would be blessed with more children than the grains of sand on the seashore. In verse 14 we are reminded that God will not only bless us, but our children and our children’s children. So I believe that our attention today should be centered around what God wants of us today, so that He might bless us in this way. Let’s be reminded that we were created in the likeness of God and for His glory. We were created to praise and worship our Designer and Maker. Are we truly living a life worthy of our King? Do we trust God enough that He is the first one we run to when the challenges of life come our way? Is He the first one we share exciting good news with and give Him praise for achieving such greatness in our lives? Or is He one that we tend to approach days after the event with words such as this: ‘Oh, by the way God, I should have returned thanks to You also for that promotion, that gift, that newborn child, etc, etc.’ Don’t we tend to do that as an afterthought more than we care to admit? Friends, I could only imagine that God must look down on us and glory in our successes, and enjoy such happy moments when He sees us leaving hospital doing 100% better than when we went there; pulling into our driveways after being protected on both sides on the highway by the powerful hand of God; and so many other instances where we might often overlook the blessing, and consider it just another successful day. Friends, from the moment that our feet hit the floor in the morning, we have so much to than God for. We trusted Him for safety and good health, and we awoke with legs and feet to stand on the floor. We arose from a warm, comfortable bed and not from a bed made of old clothes in a tent under a nearby bridge. Please help me, as I strive to remind you, that we are blessed with so much that our minutes, hours and days could be filled with worship and praise to our King for the awesome love He shows to us each day. We are truly blessed, dear friend, and your parents probably taught you to do the same as I was taught, please remember to say ‘thank You Jesus for Your goodness supplied to my every need’. To my unsaved readers, if you happened across this devotional today and cannot identify with the love of my God, please read my Footnote carefully and seriously consider accepting Jesus as your personal Savior. There is no respecter of persons in His eyes. He loves you, and He wants you to accept His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. You too are in line for enormous blessings my friend – you, your children and your children’s children!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I am thankful that in spite of how little we may think of ourselves at times, and how unworthy we may feel at other times, it is overwhelming to be reminded that You love us, and that You long to shower blessings not only on us, but our children AND their children! You are worthy of our praise and our faithfulness throughout all generations dear God! We long to be with You in glory and to worship and praise You endlessly each and every day! Thank You for accepting me, saving me, and blessing me! Oh that I may learn to be faithful in praising You in all circumstances of 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!

Blessed is the One Who…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessing, Committed, DedicatedLeave a comment

Friday, 2019-06-21

Bible Reference: Psalm 1:1-3
Translation: New Century Version (NCV)

Bible Text: 1 Happy are those who don’t listen to the wicked, who don’t go where sinners go, who don’t do what evil people do. 2 They love the Lord’s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night. 3 They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves don’t die. Everything they do will succeed.

OBSERVATION: I believe that everyone alive might have a desire to know what it takes for them to live a happy and fulfilled life. In fact, I believe there are times that we clip reminders on our refrigerator to help remind us of what’s best for us, and what should we try to avoid that day. God does exactly that through the Psalmist, so let’s meditate on this Scripture and see how it applies to our individual lives.

APPLICATION: In the Word of God, we are told that God himself called David a man after His own heart. In other words, David’s life imitated what God expected from His creation. I believe this should be every Believer’s goal, for we know that when we follow God’s commands and His teachings to us in His Word, then it must be pleasing to God! In this very first Psalm, David gives us some attributes, or indicators of a blessed person, and I wanted to draw attention to these qualities so that today we may strive to achieve these qualities ourselves:
1).  They don’t listen to the wicked – this might happen when we listen to what the world is directing us to for happiness. Unfortunately, every time we turn the TV on we are given these options;
2).  They don’t go where sinners go – don’t go to a place where you would be embarrassed to take Jesus with you. Remember, you invited Him into your heart. Remember He lives and reigns in us, through His Holy Spirit. Will you really take Him into a questionable place?
3).  They don’t do what evil people do – these are folk that don’t know Jesus and have no concern for Jesus in the things that they do. Our actions are to be compared to what Jesus did or what He taught us to do. Pilots and doctors follow their text book for obvious reasons. We should be doing the same thing – those things that God has taught us to do or that His Holy Spirit is directing us to do. These will be totally opposite to what the evil person might lead us to do;
4).  They meditate on the Word of God, love His teachings and continually think about them – God’s Word is our textbook. It is our guide to living like Jesus expects of us. To keep it fresh in our minds and to follow its directives, we must make it a priority to read it and meditate on it regularly.
When we follow the above, we become strong in our faith and committed to God’s commands. We will not be easily eroded away like a tree beside the water’s edge, but we will stand firm so that others might catch a glimpse of what Jesus actually looks like, and how, through faith, our lives are living examples to the unsaved.
Let me encourage you to reflect back on your life over the past few days, who have you imitated? Does your life reflect the ways of Christ, or just the general public (this world)? Did your life show enough of the qualities of Jesus that you were accused of being a Christian? Friend, you shouldn’t have to tell someone you are a Christian, they should know you are by your actions, your speech and your demeanor. Let us all commit to live our lives with the teachings of the Psalmist very prominent in our character and our actions. Then, perhaps, others will see Jesus and want to know Him personally.

PRAYER: Lord, we your children need You, and we need you desperately. To live in this world, yet to not live like the world, is very challenging. It’s like swimming upstream. It’s like doing just the opposite of what the rest of the world does. And this has become quite a chore for us. Please mold us into the person that You need here and now to touch the hearts of the folk that are still in need of you. We need the same power that gave David the strength to be called a man after Your own heart; that gave Moses the fortitude to stand firm for You, even when his people were plotting to kill him. I know that You can still give that kind of strength to me and also to my friends that are committed to serving you today. Please have Your will and way in our lives today, I humbly plead in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

Bless Me Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Testify, TestimonyLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV)

TEXT:   10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

OBSERVATION:   Jabez was named because of the great pain that his mom encountered in childbirth, and while I’m sure that he probably prayed diligently for his mom, church leaders and all of those causing evil in his land, yet his prayer for his personal desires has become one that many preachers choose to use in their sermons, and it is referred to by many Christians. So I believe that God deliberately directed me to this prayer as I read this, and He caused such a tug on my heart to share it in Nuggets today.

APPLICATION:  For most of us, we hear about so much going on in our nation, in our state, and also in our own little county, each and every time that we listen to the evening news, that we sometimes wonder where would we ever find enough time to pray about it all. Oh, and don’t forget about the medical condition of our blood and church families. But I don’t believe that Jabez had it any different in his day, yet God wanted us to know that Jabez made it a point to pray for his own welfare as well. Friends, I realize that when we pray for our family, friends and co-laborers in the work of the Lord, we place them in good hands and rest our faith in him to rescue them from whatever ills that they are concerned about. However, don’t you often wish that you could help them, or at least wish that you don’t become quite as burdened as they are? Don’t you wish that you could shine so brightly that nonbelievers will see the light of Jesus in you and ask about what’s so different in your life? I’m not one of those who believe that Christians will always be the healthiest and wealthiest of all people, but I do believe in the almighty power of God and that He could do more than we could imagine or ask for, even in our meek and humble lives. I believe that often we have not, because we ask not. The last words in verse 10, says that God granted his (Jabez’) request! I wonder what the last words might be on our epitaph? If you were to choose one of your own, what might your words be, based on your first-hand knowledge of yourself? May I challenge you to pray for God’s hand on your life in a very bold way, so that you may be His hand extended here on this earth? Ask Him to bless you so that you may bless others. Imagine you being able to brag on God and visibly show God’s rich blessing on you, instead of the usual whining and complaining that we hear from so many Christians. Wouldn’t that be a welcomed change to those looking at your life and following in your footsteps?

PRAYER:   Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me through a broken world in a glorious body, so that others may see your hand at work in and through me. Please help me to always keep my eyes fixed on You and always subordinate to Your perfect will and desire for my life. I realize that there are many folk out there just like me, for we are needy before our all-powerful, gracious Lord. Please begin a good work in me, and show me how to share that with others in a way that you will receive ultimate glory. People need the Lord, and the workers are few. Please use me as needed to impact my home, my church, my workplace, my family and my friends for You Lord. Be glorified today oh Lord because of Your willing sons and daughters. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

 

Show How Blessed You Are

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Give thanks, GivingLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-07-15
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 16:16-17 (NCV)

Text:

  16 ….No man should come before the Lord without a gift. 17 Each of you must bring a gift that will show how much the Lord your God has blessed you.
OBSERVATION:
The Israelites received guidance from Moses on where they should worship, when, how and why. Other than the sacrifices, where Jesus offered Himself as a living sacrifice for us, I believe the other guidance that Moses felt led of God to share with his people are still very much in line with what we should still be doing today. The point today of giving in return for the blessings you receive, is one that we will look closer at and attempt to apply to our lives today.
APPLICATION:
I would imagine that there are some out there that give to the work of the Lord for various reasons, like giving because of promises by preachers that you would be healed, or that you will get rich. Some to avoid shame when the offering plate is passed, so that you will not be looked at strangely if you put nothing at all in it. Some may not give because they feel like churches or pastors are out to get rich quick from the gifts of even the poorest members. Or because you never have enough money for yourself each paycheck after paying your bills, so why should you short yourself to give to the church? These are probably just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ on excuses you have either heard or used before, but friends, our direction comes from God’s Word. Throughout His Word He teaches that those who love Him, or know Him, or who are His, are those who obey His commands. The guide given in verse 17 above, is that we give in line with how we’ve been blessed. Notice that there is no other calculation used? Here’s a personal testimony: When I became a tither, the biggest hurdle for me was to switch from a $1 offering in the plate as it passed, to actually giving 10% of my paycheck. There were times when funds got so tight that old Satan would make me question why am I doing this crazy giving thing? But God always saw me through, and He blessed me day after day. No He didn’t make me rich in money, but rather rich in blessings. Later in my Christian walk, an evangelist spoke on giving to God from our financial resources. In his closing prayer, he had us take our wallets out of our pocket, hold them in our hands before God, as we prayed for direction on our giving in relation to our blessings. God clearly reminded me that He had blessed me with my whole paycheck, and not just the net amount after taxes, loan payments, etc. At a time when funds were already challenging, I trusted God to see me through this change in the amount that I surrendered to Him. In no way is this bragging on anything special about this old born again sinner, but I would like you to know that God has held my hand and helped me through every financial challenge, AND blessed me enormously in my everyday life. Is God proud of the way you recognize His blessings to you? If He went strictly by the percentage you gave to Him unreservedly, and out of total obedience to His Word, would He consider you to be a totally appreciative person? If God blessed you strictly based on the amount you give to Him, do you suppose your blessings would increase, or decrease? Friends, let me assure you, our God is a very giving God. You can’t out-give Him, and I strongly believe that He will bless you even more as He recognizes that you are giving honestly and in response to His matchless blessings to you!
PRAYER:
Lord, how could we ever give enough to show our appreciation for all that You willingly and generously give to us? Lord, please help us to always give back to You out of love and in proportion to all that You have blessed us with, and never in response to what we feel that our church leaders may fail at. We want to be blessed by You, so we give to You. As You direct us to elect Your leaders to lead Your church, I have no doubt that You will place trusted leaders to mind Your flock and provide for the spiritual welfare of Your flock and our community. Thank You for giving so overwhelmingly to us Lord. May we give in proportion to all that You give to us. AMEN! 
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Blessed Because You Believe

On By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Blessing, Blessings, Obedience, ObedientLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Thursday, 2017-06-15
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Luke 1:45 (NCV)

Text:

 45 You are blessed because you believed that what the Lord said to you would really happen.
OBSERVATION:
On Mary’s visit to her relative, Elizabeth, there were several events that confirmed that the child inside of Elizabeth and Mary were very special, miraculous gifts from God. In fact, from the very first announcement to these ladies, they accepted that God was using each of them in ways that would impact the whole world and bless them beyond anything they deserved or could imagine. Let’s look at how this might impact us….
APPLICATION:
In addition to being blessed immensely by the results of the two pregnancies of Mary and Elizabeth, I fell like there are tremendous lessons for us to learn from these two women of God, but I want to concentrate on a few of the very special reasons we can identify why Elizabeth was so true in what she said to Mary, and how this could be applied to us today:

  1. From a human perspective Mary wanted to understand how the pregnancy could occur since she had never been with a man. However, she never looked for excuses why she couldn’t or wouldn’t comply with the instructions from God. 
    • Aren’t we pros at finding excuses on why we won’t serve the Lord? Too busy; unqualified; family; don’t know enough scripture; etc. We should be able to see that with these excuses we are depending on the abilities of self to accomplish the work of the Lord. Friends, for God’s work, we need Him active in every aspect of the work He has commanded, or led us to do.
  2. It is evident that Mary had an intimate relationship with her Savior, otherwise she would have quickly dismissed the idea of an angel speaking with her, and she would never have accepted the thought of God using her in such an awesome way.
    • We may sometimes grow jealous of ways that God uses others, while leaving us on the sidelines. Mary was blessed because she believed in the Master that she already knew intimately. How’s your relationship with Jesus? Do you know Him? Do you worship Him daily? Do you ask Him to use you in His work? One Bible study that I did, recommended that we look for where God is at work, and jump right in the middle of it with a heart to serve Him and be His hands and feet on planet earth!

Friends, you too can be blessed through your relationship with Jesus Christ; your belief in His mighty power and kingship; in your obedience to His commands taught in the Bible; and in your obedience to His leading each and every day. Remember friend, it’s all about Jesus, not you.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for Your servant Mary and her relative Elizabeth, who accepted from You what seemed impossible to mankind. Lord, I believe that You are still seeking believers to have that kind of faith today, and to seek to follow Your guidance and will for their lives. The example was clear with these two ladies, and I truly believe that the same God who created those miracles for them, is the same God that I serve even today. Lord, may we commit again to give You full reign in our lives today. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Our Awesome Lord!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dependence on God, Envy, God's Work, Trust, TruthLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Monday, 2017-06-05
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Psalm 37:3-7 (NCV)

Text:

3 Trust the Lord and do good.
    Live in the land and feed on truth.
4 Enjoy serving the Lord,
    and he will give you what you want.
5 Depend on the Lord;
    trust him, and he will take care of you.
6 Then your goodness will shine like the sun,
    and your fairness like the noonday sun.

7 Wait and trust the Lord.
    Don’t be upset when others get rich
    or when someone else’s plans succeed.
OBSERVATION:
This is a very positive Psalm where David gives those of us who trust in the Lord some very positive actions: Do good; Feed on the truth; Enjoy serving the Lord; Depend on the Lord; Trust in the Lord; Wait on the Lord; Don’t envy others who get rich or succeed. In concentrating on these things, our goodness and fairness will shine like the sun!
APPLICATION:
I found that some of these very things that David mentioned, are some of the very things that Christians struggle with today. So I believe that it is important that we take note of key points that David teaches us on how to achieve favor with God and be happy in our life experiences:

  • Trust in the Lord and follow His ways – always do good;
  • While living here on earth aim at filling your mind with truth. Ultimate truth is from God almighty, so feed on His Word daily. News reports are so twisted and slanted anymore until listening to their reports will give you impartial truths, and often untruths. Look for truth and don’t be so quick to accept what the world says;
  • Seek out work that benefits the Kingdom, and enjoy what you do for the Lord. Churches are always looking for volunteers, and often it is so challenging to get that help. God attaches a reward to this point, that He will give you all you want!
  • Another point with a promised reward, is that when you Depend on the Lord and trust in Him, He has promised to take care of you!
  • Don’t be so quick to look at the riches in others or their ability to succeed, God has a reward for you that is ‘out of this world’!

Friends, verse 6 sums up our rewards in ways that this world cannot understand or appreciate: our goodness will become obvious, and our fairness will be recognized just as the noonday sun! In other words, our efforts to be like Jesus and show His goodness to the world will please God and ultimately bless us in return! Glory to God for His goodness to us, His humble servants!
PRAYER:
Dear Father, thank You for using Your servant David to encourage us to live our lives pleasing You and blessing others. Lord, You bless us in so many ways and we are eternally thankful. May we be encouraged through Your Word today to be Your hands extended to those in need, and may we love and encourage just as You have done for us, so that You may be glorified in all that we do and say. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The God Who Protects Us!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Give thanks, Protection, Protector, Thankful, Thankfulness, ThanksgivingLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-02-25
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Psalm 18:1-3 (TLB)

Text:

1 Lord, how I love you! For you have done such tremendous things for me.2 The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no one can follow me in and slay me. He is a rugged mountain where I hide; he is my Savior, a rock where none can reach me, and a tower of safety. He is my shield. He is like the strong horn of a mighty fighting bull. 3 All I need to do is cry to him—oh, praise the Lord—and I am saved from all my enemies!
OBSERVATION:
David had been rescued from battle after battle, and he sat down and considered the source of his protection, support and wisdom, and exploded with a sacrifice of praise to the only God, the One who was so gracious to him. He acknowledged that God stepped in and saved him from his enemies whenever he cried out to Him, and now his heart was so filled with thanksgiving and praise that it appears like there may not be enough descriptive words to serve the purpose! How are we doing in this area of life?
APPLICATION:
We hear about folk traveling hundreds of miles to be touched by a TV evangelist who has been known to heal attendees of crippling deceases, and we hear of prayer meetings where we are encouraged to bring our petitions and our needs before the Lord, but how often do we remember to return to the altar and lay our hearts out before God in awesome praise and adoration, having recognized Him as the Healer, or Provider, or Miracle Worker in our personal situation that we had laid before Him in prayer? As a kid, we were taught that it is good and proper to say ‘thank you’ after being blessed with a gift from someone. But how often do we return to God to acknowledge His holiness and His awesome blessings to us? Friends, may I encourage you to acknowledge God for His mighty works, and stop attributing your successes, recoveries and wins over serious deceases to ‘good luck’ or ‘your special moment’ or any other avoidance of praising God? If you took time to pray for God’s intervention in your serious situation, and you see a breakthrough in that situation, please acknowledge the One that you asked to help in the first place. I believe that each day results in multiple ways that we can stop and praise the Lord – protection while traveling the road of life; the doctors who helped us overcome serious illness; loved ones who encourage and bless us every day; food to eat and the comfort of our homes. Let’s not take those things for granted. God blessed us with then, and He knows what we need and when we need them. Let’s acknowledge Him in all things each and every day, and let’s not forget to thank those that God has placed in our path, so that they also might be blessed and appreciated by us. God is so good, and in so many ways. Let’s praise Him for who He is and for all that He does!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, You are so good to us and so often we neglect in returning thanks and appreciation for all that You do. Please forgive us for our ungratefulness. Lord, may we learn from David and be more moved by Your Spirit to return to the throne of grace and offer up our praises to You on a regular basis. As recognized in my ‘Application’ above, You look out for us each and every day, and You bless us more than we could possibly deserve every day. Thank You Father for Your awesome love for us and for all that You do for us. May we be more like David in an example of a grateful and appreciative child of the King. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

We Are Blessed When….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Righteousness, SurrenderLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Tuesday, 2017-01-10
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Matthew 5:10–12 (MSG)

Text:
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. 11–12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
OBSERVATION:
Jesus had the attention of thousands when He shared, what we know today as, the ‘beatitudes’. These teachings showed the people that when they stand up for what is right, or to what is taught and demonstrated by Jesus, then they will often be living in way that might be totally opposite to what the world has ‘hung its hat on’. For the world looks to win, whether it’s financially, or being at the top of its class, or just in name through immense marketing efforts. Unfortunately, the world will do this at every expense, even if its walking over the downtrodden or seeing the poor and needy do without. Contrary to the normal trend of the world, God teaches that there is eternal hope and joy for those who follow Him and obey His commands. In fact in the preceding 9 verses of Matthew 5, Jesus teaches that in cases of obedience and faith in Him, His followers are more than conquerors, for they are blessed because of their faithfulness to Him.
APPLICATION:
When Jesus taught, it was not just for those in His physical audience group, but it was for all His followers who might follow, even till the end of time. Friends, that includes me, and I sincerely pray that includes each of you that may meditate on this devotional also. If not, I urge you to read my ‘Footnote’ and sure up your position, while you are still able to. For many that may read this, you may be like me and know nothing about persecution, other than what we have heard from others who have done missions in a foreign country. I believe that this quoted Scripture today exists because God wants us to realize that if we were to boldly proclaim His Word and live according to His teachings – in other words, live like He did, then we should expect to not fit in with the world at large. This results in us being looked down on when applying for some jobs, when trying to befriend someone who lives very differently, and be rejected by all those that will absolutely refuse to follow such narrow views and practices. Friends, we make a choice everyday, will we accept Jesus and follow His example and His way, or will we simply go with the flow and be tolerant of everything the world teaches. Today that means pretty much anything, and of course that is attractive to most people. God had a plan from the very beginning of time, and He backed that up through the intense love of His very own Son, Jesus, for all who place their faith and trust in Him. Blessed are those who accept that love and who agree to be directed by the Son of the living and true God. For theirs is the kingdom of God, for ever and for ever, Amen!
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for providing for us, even though You knew right from the beginning that we would be a hard ‘nut to crack’, because of our stubbornness and desire to please everyone but You. Please forgive us for our weaknesses, and please continue to draw us closer to the source of our hope, our joy and our salvation. Lord, we want to be just like You. Please help us ignore the evil desires of this world and instead concentrate on the immense joy that’s in store for all who love, trust and obey You. We can only do this with You by our side to strengthen us and help us overcome the many sinful distractions that come our way every day. I ask these things in faith, and in confidence of who You are, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

God’s Desire For His People

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, God's Chosen People4 Comments

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Jeremiah 13:11): …. That’s how tightly I held onto the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. I wanted them to be my people. I wanted to make them famous, so that other nations would praise and honor me, but they refused to obey me.

THOUGHTS: This verse reminds me of the desire of most parents to see the very best for their children, yet we often see our children go on living their own life and doing their own thing. Sometimes this aligns with our desire for their success and/or their future, and sometimes not. There are times that we put aside certain gifts for our children and wait for the right opportunity to bless them with it, but there are times our children become so independent that they run off and do their own thing without wanting anything from their humble parents. So if we, as weak and humble parents plan for such good things for our children, imagine how much more our heavenly Father has in store for us? As it is, I am personally blessed beyond my wildest imagination – health, family, job, friends, church home and family, and a Savior who loves me enough to have sacrificed His very life so that I might have access to heaven through His sacrifice! Wow!! But friends, more than all of this we should truly recognize the evidence of God’s love for us. Can you even imagine that He would think of us like He did Israel and Judah? Can you imagine that He wants to be able to have non-believers look up to us for spiritual life and hope? Can you even imagine us being praised by non-believers for reflecting the light and love of Jesus to them so that their eyes might be opened to His forgiveness and His offer of salvation for them? Can you allow your mind to wander off and think about other nations looking to us, then accepting Jesus as their Lord, praising His dear name and honoring Him as He demands? I know this is mind boggling friends, but I believe that God can do what appears to be impossible to us. I believe that He can, and will, use His children who will surrender all to Him, and use us for His ultimate glory. Time is running short for the unsaved to find Truth and Hope and Eternal Salvation. Under no circumstances are we needed by God, but I believe that His Word is clear in proclaiming that He wants to use us in His service while still here on this old earth. Oh that He might have unhindered access to us today! Just let go of the evil hold of this old earth, and allow God control of a fully surrendered life to Him. Will you do that today? Read the footnote for help in doing this friend!

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me enough to overwhelm me with Your love! That’s about how I feel today after meditating on this verse of Scripture! To think that You would love me enough to entrust me with Your message to share with the unsaved world, is nothing short of miraculous. Please help me to surrender the parts of my life that is hindering You from working completely through me. Lord, I have family and friends that show no evidence of having accepted You as Lord. Please forgive me if I have been a hindrance to them. Please give me boldness and tenacity to show them Your love, and express the awesome impact that You have been in my life. Lord, I want them to see You and accept You as their Lord and Savior. I pray that I might be used by you to be a positive influence in their life as a child of the King, and a life so filled with Your love and example that they will be drawn to You. I know that time is getting short before Your return for Your church. Please impact the lives of all readers of this devotional today in such a way that we might all be re-energized to constant expressions of Your love towards all that we might come into contact with today. Thank You for being such a loving God to us, Your children. May we be acceptable in Your sight oh Lord, and worthy of impacting another life for You, Savior Divine, AMEN!

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