Tag: church

Live By God’s Standards

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

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-03-12
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 18:1-5
TRANSLATION: GOD’S WORD® Translation (GW)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 The LORD spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites: I am the LORD your God. 3 You used to live in Egypt. Don’t live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don’t live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. 4 Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am the LORD your God. 5 Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am the LORD.

APPLICATION: This message from God made me think of how God must feel when we move from one phase in life to another; one geographical location to another; and perhaps even in the case of a new Christian. In the case of the later, we welcome a new Christian into the faith, or perhaps into our church membership, but can we truly identify with them? It may be challenging for more mature Christians to remember what it was like as an unbeliever, so I become concerned whether we are careful enough to truly hold the hand of that new Christian and help them through the transition. If we don’t, then what will their guide be to help them truly assume the standards of God? Based on what God told the Israelites, I believe He is says to a new Christian: ‘look, I have called you out of that life given to sin and the things of the world’s leader (Satan), and I have called you to be my child. I want you to be holy, just as I am holy. In doing that, you will no longer characterize the way that unbelievers live, but rather in accordance with all that I have exampled for you’. But here is the challenge that should speak to each Christian meditating on this blog today: Which Christian man or woman would you think God would consider suitable for leading this new convert into the ways of God; loving the way that God loves; treating others the way that God does – regardless of race, color or creed? Let’s never forget that making a complete turnaround in the difference one once lived, to now live a totally changed life in the ways that God designed, and demands His children to live, is anything but easy or automatic. Having a mentor who can show the new Christian how it’s done, and to answer any questions that might arise in their mind, is something that might help both parties better honor the commands of God and follow His standards. God didn’t want the Israelites bringing the rotten ways of the Egyptians with them, nor did He want them picking up the bad habits and sin of the Canaanites. He wanted them to start anew in following Him – the God who brought them out of bondage and into the new land He had prepared for them. I’m sure that He has a similar message for all Christians today – don’t pick up the bad habits of those you hung around, but instead obey my commands and be true to my standards. God being my helper, I will seek to live in a way pleasing to Him. I pray that each reader and listener will be touched by God and determine in themselves do the same. May our lives be a true example of who Christ is.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God had blessed the Israelites; freed them from slavery by the Egyptians; prepared a new land for them that was rich in great food and other provisions; and He also blesses them during their transition from Egypt. Awesome to see that God wants His very best for us, in spite of all that He had already done for His people. He insisted that they shake off the bad habits and practices of the Egyptians, don’t plan on adopting any of the habits of the Canaanites, but instead live a life that’s pure in His sight. I believe He wants the same for us – to be like Him!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for wanting Your very best for us. Thank You for steering us away from the bad habits of yesterday – before we knew you, and also from the danger that lies ahead where we might be tempted to follow the bad habits of our new habitation. There is no one like You Lord! Thank You for teaching us to be more like You in all that we are. May we be an awesome example of Your love wherever we go and with whomever we come into contact with. Oh that they will see Jesus, and yearn to know You personally. 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!

Open Their Eyes

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Evangelize, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-03-11
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Acts 26:17-20
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 17 The Lord also said, “I will protect you from the Jews and from the Gentiles that I am sending you to. 18 I want you to open their eyes, so they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins will be forgiven, and by faith in me they will become part of God’s holy people.”
19 King Agrippa, I obeyed this vision from heaven. 20 First I preached to the people in Damascus, and then I went to Jerusalem and all over Judea. Finally, I went to the Gentiles and said, “Stop sinning and turn to God! Then prove what you have done by the way you live.”

APPLICATION: As I write this blog today, I am receiving notifications about an approaching thunderstorm. On radar it looks serious enough for me to go out and warn the neighbors. Summer time in Florida is always a time for residents to stay tuned to weather reports for possible hurricane developments. We not only go out of our way to tell neighbors of approaching hurricanes, but we jump in to help them secure their property from the ravishes of these dangerous weather systems. Break-ins sometimes happen no matter where we are located. No matter if it’s neighborhood watch teams or just neighbors who hear about this awful crime, we make sure that everyone knows and are best prepared to fend off the criminal, should they approach our home. We do each of these things without giving a second thought to being rejected or cursed out by our neighbors. Yet so many Christians will surrender to accepting this call of God because they fear rejection. Paul didn’t stop his efforts even while in prison, and even when he stood before the king. In fact, he was so bold that further down in verse 28 Agrippa was forced to ask Paul if he was trying to save him also! So what do you suppose might be your greatest fear in doing exactly what God ordered Paul to do? Fear of rejection might definitely play a vital part in your decision to remain silent about the love of God, but it definitely had no role in sharing the above news for the protection of property and people. Might it be that we are too ashamed of the job we have done in living out our salvation, and that we are afraid of embarrassing ourselves with a message that still hasn’t truly affected us yet? Friends, I believe that God will hold us, Christians, accountable for the way that we have hidden His grace, His forgiveness and His many blessings given to us. Deep inside, we seem to have hardened ourselves from boldly telling the world who we belong to, and how badly they need Jesus. How else will we open their eyes? If we know it, if we live it, and if we have a daily relationship with the One who gave it to us, then nothing should be capable of stopping us. Would you be bold enough to drop me a note and share with me what it is that stops you in your mission? Perhaps we can pray one for another in this effort. Perhaps if we could be brave enough to tell another Christian, we will find it easy to share with an unbeliever who Jesus is to us.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The answer to today’s wars, hatred and envy is Jesus! Let’s be convinced that we know Him, and that those we come into contact with also know Him!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we are often frustrated and very afraid of the evil results of Satan’s interference in the lives of our loved ones. Yet we have the answer to this dilemma and we act afraid of sharing the Good News. Please forgive us Lord. Please also fill us with a deeper desire to know You better, and to live in a real and right relationship with You. As this improves, I believe that Your love will overflow from us and we will have a new strength and boldness to share Your love with others. People need the Lord, and I pray that You will help each reader/listener and I to never be a stumbling block in preventing the outflow of Jesus’ love for them. 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!

Godly Answers For Our Earthly Questions

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 19:3; 7; 10;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
7 The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why did Moses say a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?”
10 The disciples said, “If that’s how it is between a man and a woman, it’s better not to get married.”

APPLICATION: In their attempt to test Jesus, the one in whom they had very little respect or confidence, the Pharisees thought to ask Him controversial questions – probably on subjects that they struggled with themselves. This story made me think of a personal example – I remember my wife questioning an elderly relative about why she was asking questions for which she already knew the answers. Her response was enlightening – ‘I am pretending to be ignorant, in order to gain wisdom’!! I wonder if this is what the Pharisees were trying to do? Surely they had an answer to these questions, but perhaps they wanted to see if Jesus’ line of thinking was any different to theirs! However, putting all of the above aside, I believe that today we may look at this story and wish that we had such wisdom available to us today. And friends, this is what I feel like God wants to address through this Scripture today. You see, in all His wisdom, God knew that we would be no different to the Pharisees or anyone else that sought Him out while His Son, Jesus, walked this earth. So God left two important helps for us:

  1. His Holy Spirit: Jesus referred to this important part of the trinity as ‘The Comforter’, but I believe we can easily see throughout the Word of God that He is also our Director; our Guide; our Wisdom and our closest Friend. He lives inside of us, so of course we could call on Him with any puzzling question we may have, no matter where we are at. Will He know the answer to all of life’s challenging questions? Why of course, for He is also God. For the unbeliever who may read this and wonder how you could tap into this miraculous wonder: God sent us His very precious Son so that anyone who believes in Him might be saved. With this salvation, comes the awesome gift from God the Father – His divine Holy Spirit. Being ‘plugged in’ to this Triune Godhead is something that every Christian can claim! Accept Jesus as Your savior today and receive your heavenly Helper today, my unbelieving friends!
  2. His Holy Word: Perhaps you were surprised to read today’s Scripture and see that ‘divorce’ was covered in the Bible. I am convinced that everything else is also covered in this invaluable resource given to us by our Father in Heaven. A Google search is very powerful, but it’s nothing compared to the official Word of God that He left for us. Yes, your pastor, elder, deacon or friend could do your homework for you and give you the answers to your many questions, but why not look for yourself? There is something uniquely rewarding to meeting with God each day as you open His Word! There is so much that we could learn, and so much value in building an intimate relationship with our Creator!

But to top this whole message off, Jesus gave His disciples a few conditions that would generate supreme trust in the Almighty God. I went with a group of missionaries from my church to Mexico for a week. Other than finances, the next greatest challenge was in packing minimally as space would be limited on flights and in the vans used for ground transportation. So can you imagine trying to ‘GO’ under the restrictions ordered by Jesus in (1) noted above in our Scripture? Homes were opened to accommodate the missionaries, as there were no provisions for commercial accommodations, if any existed. This has become a huge problem today, as most church members will refuse to have a missionary or visiting preacher in for a meal, much less opening their home to one. I trust that you can appreciate the difference. Most of us will do everything possible to be accepted by the townspeople in which we minister. But what do you do if you are not accepted? Jesus knew this would happen and probably disappoint His disciples, just as it would impact us, so He prepared us in advance in (3) above for such an unfortunate event. Bible scholars will tell you that Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples to go some foreign place and, when you get – tell and heal. But instead, He told them in their language that as they GO, tell and heal. It is so important that we represent God and tell the Good News everywhere we find ourselves, not just at one specific building, street corner, country or city. As you go each day, brothers and sisters, in every way possible, tell the story of Jesus and His love for everyone you meet, God being your helper and guide.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus has the answers to all of life’s questions, and He holds the key to Eternal Life.

PRAYER: Blessed be the name of the Lord! For Jesus is faithful and true and will forgive us of our sin, while also answering all of our questions each and every day. Without Jesus, we are merely wandering around this earth without an eternal plan, and without a proper Guide, Protector and Trusted Friend. Lord, teach us to use the brains that You have blessed us with, and to accept the gift offered to us by our amazing God. For those of us who have already bent the knee in humility and surrendered our lives to You, please teach us every day, for we have so many questions. Also help us to be a giving and sharing people, willing to share You – our source of help, with all those we come into contact with. You are Lord, and besides You, there is no other. You created us, and You have answers to all of our questions. Please teach us to surrender our will to Your almighty hand and guidance. 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!

Then and Now

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-03-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 8:4-5
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT:  4 Moses did as the LORD had commanded, and when the community had assembled, 5 he said to them, “What I am now about to do is what the LORD has commanded.”

APPLICATION: I remember at one stage in my life as a church leader, I chose to challenge someone complaining about the differences in today’s worship music selections compared to the ‘old days’. But in reading today’s Scripture, I was forced to reflect on the differences in today’s acts of obedience to that which God has demanded, especially when compared to the Biblical account of Moses. Having been blessed to serve in leadership positions in the local church, I can tell you first hand that if our story is ever relayed to future generations, it will look quite different to that of Moses. Having said that, I can assure you that I have no doubt that the God we serve today is no different than the God Moses feared and served. However, it seems like today we have so many influences that tend to distract our thought process and our communion with God, that I’m not so sure that our decisions are as pure as that of Moses. For example, distractions might include prominent church members who stop their giving when the leaders don’t lead the church in the direction they dictate. I’ve participated in church study groups where the leaders seem to try diligently to find a different meaning from what it appears like God intended for us in the Bible. It seems like current-day church leaders decide that it’s time for larger and more updated (fancy) facilities, so they start their search and then beg for God’s buy-in. But Moses showed us that God said it, and he immediately found a way to implement what God demanded, no questions asked. I believe that our first excuse today might be that we don’t hear God speak verbally to us, as it appears like He spoke to Moses. Dear friends, we are children of the Almighty God and we heard Him loud and clear when He called us to His saving grace. We heard Him and we obeyed His call. Many of us have found companions that we are convinced that God directed us to. Do you for a moment believe that His communication to us is limited to just those things? Do you suppose that He is dead and therefore never communicates with us anymore? I am convinced that my God will direct my paths for as long as He leaves me here on earth. I am His child, and He actually died voluntarily on the cross of Calvary so that I might find new life in Him, which will lead me to life eternally in heaven one day. If you have connected with God, then you have that same assurance. If so, then you are fully aware that He still talks to us today and guides us through every decision of life, especially the work of His bride – the church. I believe that where the difference comes, is the many distractions we allow to interfere and draw our attention from the purity of God’s voice. I believe that, we try so hard to be politically correct in what we say, and in every effort to please everyone, until we tend to hear only those things that we know will please those on our favorites’ list. Can we honestly be like Moses in our witness, our decisions, our preaching and our teaching and still have the same friends that we bend over backwards to please? I believe there will be many conflicts in our spirit to do that. It is evident that Moses obeyed God wholeheartedly, and ‘the chips fell where they may’ for everyone else that witnessed Moses in action. I pray that we might become more like Moses today. Tell it like God intended, not how we might ensure that our popularity continues among our people. God being our Helper and our Guide!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Moses didn’t ask God for His buy-in on something he felt necessary, instead He listened to God’s instructions and followed them!

PRAYER: Lord, please teach us to not run ahead of You. We want to be obedient servants, not ones who ask you to bless what we decide is best for us. You hold the key for our life today, and for whatever time You will allow us to remain here on earth. You created us in Your image, and You promised never to leave us alone, so I am convinced that You have a perfect plan for us while we’re here. Please teach us to wait on the Lord, and to be willing and ready to obey Your every command, without allowing any distractions that may cause us to soften Your message or obey Your every command. May we clearly hear the commands of our Father, and may our churches hear and act on the same. 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!

Waiting For Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Wait on the Lord, Wait Patiently, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-03-06
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 17:14-16
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

APPLICATION: I believe that if we surveyed the Sunday morning congregation of worshipers why they are present in God’s house that day, the answers will be as varied as the people who are gathered. For the crowd in our Bible story, notice that Jesus didn’t even have to ask why they were there, they automatically approached Him with their needs. But let’s remind ourselves that there is much more to seeking an audience with the God of this universe, so the million dollar question for us today is: where do we go in order to meet with Jesus? Let’s give this some thought:
-o- WORSHIP – There comes a time when most individuals will look into the heavens and acknowledge that ‘THERE IS A GOD’, for we see Him: in the beautiful sunrise; the exquisite oceans where fishermen locate our delicious seafood and laypersons enjoy the art of fishing and water-sports; we witnessed the birth of a baby, where one of the parents were told repeatedly by doctors that they could never have kids; we saw personally how a relative was healed from a disease that doctors threw in the towel on. In fact, much like the wisemen said when they saw the star, they felt compelled to go and find the infant so they could worship Him, and perhaps we may come to the same conclusion – He is worthy of our praise, and we must find that perfect place where we might worship Him!
-o- HEALING – Some of us have heard one too many times that the doctors could do nothing else for our relatives. But the evidence is clear from the Bible, that God provided healing to the blind, the lame, the mute and He even brought the dead back to life again. Surely the ailments of our loved one is nothing when compared to the impossible situations just mentioned. We must find where God is so that we might petition Him with our desperate physical needs.
-o- COMPANIONSHIP – After years of perfect companionship, some of you may have experienced the loss of your companion. Now what? Where can you find God so that you might draw close to Him as you seek His guidance and comfort while trying to finish up life here on earth all by yourself?
Friends, I’m sure that each of you have unique reasons for seeking the presence of Jesus. In fact, you are extremely challenged to see outside of your challenges to recognize God, to listen to His tender voice of compassion, to actually worship Him in spite of your loss, or to follow His guidance as He directs your path. I’m sure you are desperately searching for God’s whereabouts, so you could share your heartfelt joys and concerns with Him. Please allow me to suggest that you try to worship God, even when your enemies are showing you all the roadblocks. Call on Him wherever you’re at, and know that He is always near. Remind yourself of the incredible love shown at the cross of Calvary, and know that God loves you and considers you more precious than any bright, shining metals that we spend thousands of dollars for. Remember, He created you in His own image, so there is nothing that He won’t identify with or help you overcome. Just wait, I say, on the Lord!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Seek the Lord while He may be found. Exalt Him and worship Him for who He is. He has not lost His awesome power to heal, forgive, and love. He is anxiously waiting for you to find Him right where you’re at.

PRAYER: Lord, we are reminded that when we reach the totality of our abilities and our efforts, You are still there with opened arms ready and willing to accept us – Your creation and Your child. Please teach us and remind us each day that as we place our faith and trust in You each and every day, we will also learn to reach out to You through our good times, our bad times and especially through our challenging times. Just as the crowd determined where You were at, and they waited for You with many items beyond their control and abilities, we too have access to the same wonderful Savior still today. We need You Lord. Please help us to seek You in every phase of life, no matter where we find ourselves geographically. Please teach us to depend on the one constant each day – our Almighty God. Healer, Protector, Guide, Deliverer, Savior and Friend! 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!

Delays Are Costly

On By Ed AlgreenIn Know Jesus, Knowing Christ, SalvationLeave a comment

Monday, 2022-03-04
Written at: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Acts 24:24-25
Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)

Bible Text: 24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he talked about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as Paul went on discussing about goodness, self-control, and the coming Day of Judgment, Felix was afraid and said, “You may leave now. I will call you again when I get the chance.”

APPLICATION: When travelling to another state or country by plane or train, there is often the chance of delays, for one reason or another. If the fault is attributed to the airline, then they will often provide vouchers to the stranded passengers for food, and sometimes even for hotel, if the delay will prevent travelling the same day. Can you begin to imagine the costs paid by carriers for these delays? Last weekend the message of the Gospel was presented, and thousands of attendees at thousands of churches were given the opportunity to surrender their lives to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. No doubt your church, like mine, saw folk leave without accepting the invitation of the pastor, and the Holy Spirit that tugged on their hearts. I’m sure that there were many excuses for the decisions to delay following Christ. Why some left during the singing of the last hymn, because it was more important to be the first out of the busy church parking lot, or to be the first at the popular restaurants for lunch. Priorities of the individuals! But we are reminded through God’s Word, that He is in full control of our time here on earth. Will we have another opportunity quite like the opportunity given at last week’s services? Thankfully, I made it all the way home safely yesterday. Did everyone else from your church services have that same good fortune? Perhaps they did, or perhaps they didn’t. God’s Word has very clear advice for us when it tells us that “now is the accepted time”, the only moment promised to us. Think about this friends: at our borders all those arriving with proper documentation (passports and appropriate visas) are allowed in, while others are rejected and expatriated back to their home country. This will be no different at the entrance to Heaven’s portals, because the rules are similar to those followed by our immigration officers. For entrance into heaven, only those who have personally accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior (that’s their passport and visa) will be accepted into God’s eternal home, others will be returned to their home of choice – with Satan and his band of demons. Friends, please don’t delay, it could cost you eternal life with the God of this universe and His awesome Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the One who loved you enough to die on a cruel cross, so that you might receive forgiveness of your sin. But you must invite Him into your heart. Your delay could cost you big time. Please let me encourage you to not even wait for the next service time, contact a pastor or Christian leader of a local church, or contact me so that I may help you, but PLEASE, don’t delay, make a decision today, for Jesus might return today to take His bride (the church) home to glory!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, many of us just attended church over recent days, and you petitioned us to accept You as Lord of our life. Today, through this illustration with Felix delaying his decision to hear more from Paul, you are again getting our attention about the cost of delaying our decision to accept Your free gift of salvation. The delays brought on by Felix cost him. I pray that my readers, listeners, and all those that we love and pray for, will accept You at Your Word, while there is time to do so. Thank You for loving us enough to have given us multiple opportunities to do this. And while we have no control over whether there will be another opportunity, I pray that many will STOP and cry out to You as they finish meditating on this devotional – even now. I praise You for not giving up on me. Today I humbly plead with You to melt the hearts of those that meditated on this devotional with me today, as they were given another opportunity to call on You for salvation. Please bring them to their senses and embolden them to make this vital decision. Please create a sense of urgency in their hearts to accept You oh Lord. For this is my humble and earnest prayer, in the name of Jesus alone, and for His glory alone. 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!

Who Am I?

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-03-04
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 16:13-17
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who are the people saying I am?”
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; some, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “Who do you think I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “The Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 “God has blessed you, Simon, son of Jonah,” Jesus said, “for my Father in heaven has personally revealed this to you—this is not from any human source. 

APPLICATION: A good exercise before you read my comments on today’s Scripture, might be to stop – no music, no electronic devices near you, and away from all company, as you respond to the question by Jesus ‘Who do you say I am?’ An awesome follow-up to that exercise, might be to stop and ask yourself what others might say in response to that question, basing their response on what they see in you each day through your words and actions. I’m afraid that this is where many of us might be challenged, for I believe that our actions might reveal a Lord that might look much like the image of Santa Claus, for we constantly brag about all that He have given to us in response to our constant begging or even our charitable actions. I believe the whole idea behind these exercises is to help us determine the difference between our ‘head’ knowledge and our ‘heart-felt’ relational feelings about who God is. As I meditated on this, my mind went on preparations that church leaders make when preparing for revival services. What if church leaders took a poll of it’s members with this question by Jesus? Don’t you know that the revival evangelist would have no problem in finding sermon topics for the period of his visit? What if we did a time of inflection at the end of each day as we reflected on our words and actions, and evaluated the answers we gave to this question that day to those around us? How much time will we mark off for our time with Jesus each evening as we sobbed our way through the failures and/or regrets? Friends, who do you say Jesus is? How do you live out Jesus’ character and teachings in your life? Considering the fact that Jesus knows every word, action and thought, how might we respond to Him directly right now about who we think He is? For the world to see who Jesus is through the way we live, what might we have to change?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus said that His Father gave Peter personal insight into who Jesus is. I believe He can do the same for us if we seek Him and want to know Him intimately!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, through Your invitation I accepted You as Lord and Savior of my life. I am convinced from Your Word that You would have me know You more intimately, but I need Your grace and I acknowledge that I will need to look beyond what I might expect You to do for me in return. My readers and listeners must look inwardly and answer Your question personally and with an unselfish heart. Please speak boldly to all those who might be reminded of You today. Challenge them with the question You personally asked those closest to You – Your disciples. May each of us not only answer because of our head-knowledge of who You are, but may we also dig deep inside and share our deepest thoughts with You – the One who sacrificed Your very own life for us, so that we might one day bow before You and the Father in heaven. Thank You for Your love and for Your sacrifice. Please help us to share that with everyone we encounter here on earth. 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!

Take Delight In The Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-03
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 37:4-7
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

APPLICATION: I recently visited a larger city in Florida, and I was amazed by the number of homeless individuals who stood on street corners; slept next to their bicycles with a blanket sheltered over them; took refuge in a dark alley just to get some peace and quiet. It bothered me, for I kept remembering the Scripture where Jesus taught us to look at these individuals as we would our Savior. For as much as we gave to one of those, we gave to Him. I have been so saddened over the loss of friends and family since this Covid pandemic started. Loved ones are left behind and they are lonely as all out. I am reminded that God promised us only the present, so let’s try to live it fully until Jesus returns, and not be saddened by current events, or in all that seem to be headed our way. But how do we live this life out in happiness and success? Our Scripture says that we are to commit everything to the Lord, and trust Him fully. This is often easier said than done, for we are a people used to instant cooking, instant communications, fast cars, and even faster airplanes. Let’s learn to place our concerns at the feet of Jesus and surrender them fully into His care. We know from God’s Word that He is faithful and just to fulfill His promises and meet the needs of His precious children. Learn to trust Him in all things – even the little things that you may feel like you are wasting God’s time on. As you gain faith in God handling things for you in His time and in His infinite wisdom, you gain peace about leaving the BIG issues of life with Him also. Many of us tend to look at the success of crooks and of those who have rejected Christ, and we may wonder why? Our Scripture today assures us that God is in control, and our part for true success lies with us being still before God and waiting for His lead. It’s not our problem to control who is blessed by God, for He is more than capable of blessing only those who trust in Him and depend on Him. Friends, David met many challenges in life, and God directed his path. He can do the same for you, if you trust in Him and surrender your will into His capable hands.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our future generations can look back and reflect on God’s success through us, just as we can rejoice over the success God made in David’s life, God being our Helper and Deliverer!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for giving us references that we can gain confidence from in our dealings with You! Faith should be enough, so I pray that You will help us develop the awesome faith in us, just like You did in David’s life. Please help us to keep still before You and allow You to work miraculously through the many things that hurt us and/or bother us. We need You more today than ever before in our lives. Please teach us to pray, teach us to be still before You, and teach us to just be still and wait before You – because You are very capable of bringing this together for us, just as You designed our future to be. Ours is not to question why, but to celebrate and thank You for the well orchestrated and planned future that awaits us – culminating with us kneeling at Your feet in heaven! 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!

The Radiance of Being With Jesus

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

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-03-02
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Exodus 34:29-35
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the Lord had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. 30 When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him. 31 Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. 32 Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. 34 Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the Lord. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the Lord had told him to say. 35 They could see that his face was still shining…..

APPLICATION: Pastors live in glass houses! For their every move and every word is examined closely by their parishioners. Unfortunately we hear more about the unmet expectations of church members, but occasionally we may hear about the pastor’s fiery sermons aimed at everyone else in the church! But how often do we hear about the true man of God and what is evident in their character and seen by their community? I wonder what characteristics we may look at, if we were asked to choose the most godly person that we encounter each day? I feel doubtful that we could say like the Israelites that we look for ‘the glow, or radiance, on their face’, but I believe if we concentrated on their God-like qualities, instead of constantly criticizing their every word and/or action, perhaps we might start appreciating and praising God for His awesome presence in their lives. I remember serving on a few Pastor Search Committees, and as I reflect back on some of the questions we asked of prospects, in an effort to determine if the man’s heart was right with God, I can only say that I’m glad the tables weren’t reversed and I had to answer some of those questions! Friends, too often we judge the spiritual condition of a person based on the legalistic questions about the practices they follow. Notice that in the case of Moses, there was nothing that he did other than to present himself humbly and respectfully before the God that he worshipped, and whose commandments he followed innocently. Moses expected his ‘real’ God to have a ‘real’ impact on his life and even more importantly Moses seemed more concerned about God’s hand being upon the people he was appointed to lead. We may quickly retort that we might be the same way if we saw God in operation like Moses did. Do you suppose we would really like for that to happen in our lives? Do you suppose our relationship with God is such that we could have a truly unadulterated, honest and humble one-on-one experience with Almighty God? Can we truly handle ‘Your will be done, oh Lord. Not mine’? Or are we way too busy telling God how everything should go? We ask God for things, then we complain when His answer is not what we expect. Are we truly elevating Him to the position of God over everything? Oh that God might be so evident in our lives, that others will be afraid to come near, just from the fear of God’s holy presence, and who He is. May that ‘glow’ be evident on our faces, and in our lives, showing that we’ve been with God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Moses had to provide a veil over his face because of the radiance that showed after his real-life experiences with God! Wow! It would be awesome to still see that ‘glow’ today when we encounter Christians who have been with God!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, please help us to examine our lives, and may we allow You to declare the changes needed in our lives to truly experience Your presence. Please Lord, help us to remove the things that keep us from experiencing intimacy with you. With a holy heart may we approach Your throne often for a fresh anointing by You. The world needs Jesus, not a pretender or a want-to-be Christian. For You are still capable of leading us through every obstacle in life, even those things that might be comparable to the things the Israelites faced in the Wilderness. May the ‘glow’ of Your presence be evident to those who need the God we serve, adore and worship. 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!

Distinguished By God’s Presence

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-03-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Exodus 33:13-18
TRANSLATION: New International Version (NIV)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

APPLICATION: Moses had just gone through a very embarrassing moment where he came down from a serious meeting with God, only to find the Israelites in the middle of a huge party before the golden images they had created. Moses lost his temper, but he got rid of the idols and many of the people who were instrumental in leading the worship to these false gods. I believe that Moses felt a grave responsibility for the godliness of these people, so I’m sure that he must have felt very guilty in wondering how God must be taking this action by His people, so in order for him to continue the work, he needed to make sure that God would continue to lead them. Perhaps something like we call ‘a guilty conscience’ today, even though we see no indication that God was angry at Moses. But I love the words that Moses used as he pled with God. He wasn’t satisfied that he had a large following as they made their way through the wilderness, but he wanted it to be obvious that God was with them. In fact, Moses wanted the rest of the world to distinguish he and his group as the ones that had God as their protector, director and guide. Wouldn’t it be awesome for our community to refer to our church as the one down the street that is ‘led by God’? Wouldn’t our boss be impressed if he/she could look on us as the employee that showed obvious signs of having God lead us in every decision? Friends, instead of being afraid of preaching on our jobs, let’s be faithful in letting the world know what distinguishes us from the rest of the world. For I believe that as the world sees Jesus in and through us, they will be convinced to re-evaluate their need for such an awesome God.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just as Moses wanted he and his people to be distinguished by the leadership of God, we too should make that our aim in life, if indeed we have given Him full reign to lead us.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for being our Savior, our Director, our Protector and our Guide. You successfully led the Israelites through many, many, obstacles – in fact, too many for our simple human eyes to see, or minds to understand. So Lord, I believe that You can definitely handle the obstacles, needs, frustrations, questions and impossibilities that my readers and I face today, for nothing is impossible with You. Oh Lord, may it be obvious to the world that You rule and reign your people, so that others may hear of You, and see You in action through our everyday successes and decisions. May they be convinced that they need You in their life also. 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!