A Safe Place

On 2020-12-162020-12-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Eternal Life, Gift, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-12-16
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Nahum 1:7-8
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷The Lord is good. He is a safe place to go to in times of trouble. He takes care of those who trust him.
⁸But he will completely destroy his enemies.….

OBSERVATION: I believe that few will need reminding that God is our ‘go-to’ in times of trouble, for we tend to feel helpless, and we know that we must refer the matter to One that can handle all matters considered impossible by us. This often forces the Christian and the unbeliever to call on God, for we know that He could do ALL things. But notice how Nahum made a distinction between how God might treat His own, vs those that distance themselves from Him. So I encourage all readers to take note of what you could expect from God, depending on your acceptance of our King.

APPLICATION: Wouldn’t it make sense that for those who refuse the gift of eternal life from God, and choose to try and prove to the world that they could make it without Him, that they would also refuse to call on Him when life seems to be totally out of control? I would think so, but we know that’s not the way that life works. When disaster strikes, Christians are often called on by unbelievers to pray for them, or their loved one, who may be hurt or dying from some rare disease. How exactly might we pray? Our Scripture reminds us that Nahum was addressing the residents of Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, and God revealed to him that there were some who would find it safe to anchor themselves in the shelter and protection of the Almighty, but there were some who would be totally destroyed because of their distant and hateful relationship with Him. Friends, we serve a God who is filled with love – more than we could ever imagine or understand, and while He will listen to the cry for salvation from those who despise Him, there will come a day when He would remove His hand a protection from them and allow death and destruction to take its course, unless they surrender their lives to Him. Do you think for a moment that in today’s society God will react in a different way? He has always hated sin, and I believe that He always will. I don’t know about you, but there are times that I must turn the television off, especially when I see reports of crime, vagrancy, and hatred against each other. Friends, sin abounds and individuals act in such evil ways, that God must wonder how could He possibly have been involved in their birth and upbringing. As you evaluate your life today, you should see where you will fit into one of two categories before God: 1). You’ve been washed by the blood of His precious Son and you are looked upon by God as being ’white as snow’. In fact, He sees Jesus’ perfect sinless life when He looks at you, and you are considered a son, or friend of the most High God; or 2). You have shown little concern about your sinful condition and have therefore rejected the invitation from Jesus Christ on many occasions. Because you have neglected God’s gift – His own precious Son, you have treated Him as your enemy. In verse 8 of today’s Scripture, you will note that God will destroy His enemies. To transition from group (2) over to group (1), you simply need to recognize the unconditional love that God has for His children – for you. Then accept His Son and begin celebrating the assurance of life eternally with the Master for ever! Nahum was merely reminding the Ninevehites of their plight. I feel like I have done just that for all who will read this devotional. May God grant you peace, wisdom and direction as you consider your eternity today, AMEN!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Thank You Lord for making me whole. Thank You Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free! Words from an old song that remains as true today as when I first accepted You as Lord and Savior of my life! Now oh Lord, I come before You on behalf of many family members and friends who have taken You for granted. They’ve decided to make a go at this life, all alone. Please Lord, soften their hearts and help them see very clearly that their segregation for You makes it clear that they are rejecting Your free gift of eternal life. In our Scripture today, and throughout Your Word, You have declared that You will destroy Your enemies. It saddens me that they would reject the most precious gift available to them today and remain enemies of Yours. Lord, instead of Your plan for eternal damnation for Your enemies, may I beg You to speak softly to all who will read this devotional today and remind them once again about Your love, and Your gift. May today be the day of Salvation for many, please oh Lord. AMEN!

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

God Knows Our Hearts

On 2020-12-152020-12-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-12-15
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 145:16-19
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁶When you open your generous hand, it’s full of blessings,
satisfying the longings of every living thing.
¹⁷You are fair and righteous in everything you do,
and your love is wrapped into all your works.
¹⁸You draw near to those who call out to you,
listening closely, especially when their hearts are true.
¹⁹Every one of your godly lovers receives
even more than what they ask for.
For you hear what their hearts really long for
and you bring them your saving strength.

OBSERVATION: Based on conversation with our children, we know what they like, and what they wish for. Imagine how much more God knows what we need and what we wish for! For adults, who have pretty much gotten over the idea of gifts on every occasion, hopefully we have a list of loved ones that we wish God would get a hold of and bring them to their senses. What, or perhaps who, is at the top of your wish list today? As you still your heart before Him, may you see God answering your deepest wishes.

APPLICATION: A heart that has been surrendered to God and steeped in the Word of God, will often long for and desire to see God also work in the life of a relative or loved one. We may often pray in deepest sincerity for the loved one, and we may even visit with them to encourage change in their life, but our hearts are burdened for them and we will often sigh in trying to express to our Heavenly Father our deepest desires for that loved one. We are reminded by David that we serve an awesome God, who is fair and righteous in all He does. Isn’t this encouraging to know that God’s decisions are not twisted by our selfish and evil desires at times? We tend to be so driven by vendettas and selfish desires that often we make decisions that are not always in the best interest of the other party. But God respects and loves the sincere hearts of His children, and will therefore listen closely to our cry for help, and for the desires of our humble and contrite hearts. How do we stay humbled for what God expects from His children? We stay in His Word and aim to be more like Jesus in every aspect of life. You see, He was the only perfect One. So there are no others that we may try to imitate who will help us to also lean towards perfection in our lives. Learn to share your heart with the Master dear friend. This will help you realize what God must be seeing in you.

PRAYER: Way too often we could be accused of seeking Your hand for all that You might give to us, instead of seeking Your face in recognition of the awesome God that You are. Thank You Lord Jesus for blessing us, even at times when we didn’t ask for it. You know our very hearts and our innermost thoughts, so You know our desires and our intimate wishes. Because David reminded us of Your fairness and Your awesome love for us, I humbly ask that You touch the hearts of all my readers and myself, so that You might not find selfish desires within us, but instead, always seeking to see our family and loved ones accept You as Lord and Savior of their lives. Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Please teach me to always seek to know You better and be concerned about the salvation of all those within my realm of influence, all for Your glory and honor. AMEN!

Your Role In Helping Others Praise The Lord

On 2020-12-142020-12-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Light, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salt, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-12-14
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 5:13-16
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹³“You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world? And you yourselves will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. ¹⁴You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. ^15-16Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.

OBSERVATION: No doubt you have heard someone say ‘Now that will give them something to talk about!’, or perhaps ‘If they’re talking about me, then they’re leaving everyone else alone!’. We tend to use these phrases with a ’tongue and cheek’ attitude, because we really wish that trouble makers would not talk badly about about anyone. But let’s ponder the idea of letting our life so shine and acting in a way that others will be reminded of Jesus Christ! Perhaps they may even turn and give Him praise!

APPLICATION: Sometimes we must be reminded of why we’re here, otherwise we may tend to think that it’s just to keep our spouse happy, or to provide for our kids, or to be a slave for our employer! However, in our Scripture today God used Matthew to set out two illustrations for us to see how truly valuable we, Christians, are to the world. As a part of the world, we may just blend in with the crowd, because we may look like them, have kids just as they do, have to work just as they do, go to the same parties as they do and perhaps even live in the same neighborhoods. However for some, there may be certain changes that take place in their lives that causes them to be different. For example: they may make sufficient money that they may rise above the rest in riches; their son or daughter may become a professional athlete and a light is suddenly shone on the parents; a household member may be arrested and the press is suddenly always on the doorsteps of that family; etc. But for the one that accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, how does that impact their neighborhood, coworkers or others in their circle of influence? I believe our Scripture helps us with this, for Jesus said:
~ You are the salt, or seasoning, of the earth – Food without salt, or any other type of seasoning is very bland and it would be challenging to encourage anyone to eat it. Houses in a neighborhood that are all alike are often referred to as ‘cookie cutters’. Residents in a neighborhood who are all alike may be referred to as all ’peas in the same pod’! However, when one stands out from the rest in their mannerisms, their decisions on controversial items, lack of worry about trivial worldly things, or their love for life and people around them, their neighborhood might begin to notice and wonder what has impacted them. Seasoning impacts the taste of food – usually for the better! Jesus Christ impacts the character and mindset of a believer – always for the better!
~ You are the light of the world – Someone with even minimal Bible knowledge will quickly tell you that Jesus is the Light of the World and that mankind should not be so presumptuous to believe that they are also ‘light’. However, in the example given above about neighborhood families or individuals, don’t you know that a soul that has been totally cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and have vowed to live in close relationship with Him, they will begin living – acting, talking and giving, like the Light of the world? It’s just natural that this will occur. In fact, our Scripture is encouraging us to live a life where it is obvious to those around you that there is something, or someone impacting your life in such a way that they will not only desire to also have that thing/person, but they will also praise God daily because of your changed life and your natural changes that are evident in your life!
Dear friends, notice that these changes impact you and makes your life stand out, but there is little value in any of that unless Jesus Christ is recognized and permitted to draw others unto Himself through the changes in your life. Please don’t allow personal pride to interfere with that. Allow God only to be praised and lifted up.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Salt of the Earth and Light of the World, thank You for accepting a simple neighborhood guy who could have easily been recognized as one of the normal members of society. Your transformation in my life has been phenomenal, because You brought me from a child of worldly worth, to a prince of the Most High God. Thank You for reminding my friends and I through the Scriptures that our new life in You was not intended to promote self, other than the humbleness in giving up those things that the world may have attracted us to. Oh that through the grace of our Lord may our hardened hearts be melted, and may our attitudes be molded so that our character might allow the Light of the World to shine brightly through every aspect of our lives. Please Lord, use us for Your glory in drawing all those in our circle of influence unto Yourself so that they may praise You for ever and for ever. AMEN!

Will God Identify You as His?

On 2020-12-132020-12-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Eternity, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2020-12-13
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Micah 4:5
TRANSLATION: New American Standard Bible (NASB)

BIBLE TEXT: Though all the peoples walk,
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

OBSERVATION: I love how the prophet Micah declared that Israel would stand firm for the living God, no matter how other countries around them may continue to trust in their own god. As we meditate today, I would like for us to personalize this thought. Will God identify you as a child of the Almighty God because of your daily lives here on earth? Will you declare today that Jesus is Lord and King of your life?

APPLICATION: My wife’s grandmother developed Alzheimers in her latter years. Like most people who realize someone has been impacted by this dreaded disease, we would normally ask multiple times during our visits ‘Do you know who I am?’. I always loved her response: ‘I can’t call your name, but I know you’re one of mine!’. We always chuckled when she responded like that, but I believe she recognized our facial expressions, our mannerisms and our love for her, for she came to recognize some of the traits that she taught her children and grandchildren over the years. Fortunately, God not only created us and placed us here on earth to develop whatever mannerisms we want, and to worship whatever gods or objects that comes natural to man, but He inspired His chosen prophets to write down His teachings, and He even gave some the gift of prophecy to foretell what will come to pass. Unlike parents who often wish that hospitals would give them a book of instructions when they hand them their newborn baby, God did exactly this for us! So as we grow up, we have a choice of either learning and following the instructions given to us by God, or whether we would just assimilate ourselves into our friendship and community groups that often tend to follow what feels best to them, or makes them look like the most elite in society. Based on the Word of God, I believe that God identifies His own by their commitments, their loyalties and their actions. For if we commit to the lordship of Jesus Christ, our loyalties, commitments and choices would look more like what is taught in God’s Word. If we make no changes in our lives, then we will naturally follow the desires of the flesh and try to please our fellow man. Our loyalties might then look more like one who is totally engrossed in our job, with no time for family, friends, God or the church. Or we may become so caught up in worldly fun and games, that we lose sight of the God who placed us here and continues to provide all the basics of life for us every day. Or we develop an attitude that we are untouchable by the world or its problems, and we couldn’t care less about the needs of others. Of course nothing of this is out of sight by God, for He knows our thoughts and our actions. So friends, I wonder what God might look at us and say when we stand before Him? Will congratulations be in order, and the red carpet laid out for the prince or princess to walk through to heaven? After all, as a child of the King of all kings, we would be considered a prince/princess! But for the one who had no need or time for God while here on earth, surely they wouldn’t want a part of Him on Judgment Day, right? Unfortunately there is a second place prepared for those not interested in Heaven, it is a place of eternal damnation and fire, one that is led by Satan and his demons. Sounds way too cruel? But friends, as I indicated in all that I’ve said already, you make this crucial decision while here on earth. Please be reminded that decisions could only be made by you with a sober mind while you are alive. How long will you be alive? God answered that in His Word, when He said that no one knows the day or the hour that the Master will come. This means that you are free to make a decision now, but there are no assurances that you you will be here in five minutes to make decisions then. Now is the accepted time of salvation my friend, and it is available to all that would ask! My prayer is that everyone that may read one of my devotionals will make the right decision about their eternity at the time of reading it, and immediately speak with God. Please contact me if I could be of help to you.

PRAYER: Thank You Heavenly Father for loving me enough to provide the means for my salvation. As the prophet Micah reminded us today, some may worship their respective idols today, and until You question them on Judgment Day, but Lord I promise to serve You faithfully today and every day until You return to take me home. Please touch hearts today who may read this devotional and may not have clarified their position with You yet. Remind them of the importance of making that decision today, before it is eternally too late. May Your Word, and this short devotional, not fall on deaf ears, but on hearts that are willing to establish today where they will spend eternity. AMEN!

God Does Change His Mind!

On 2020-12-122020-12-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Forgiven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

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

BIBLE REFERENCE: Jonah 3:7-10
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷…… A command from the king and his great rulers:
For a short time no person or animal should eat anything. No herd or flock will be allowed in the fields. Nothing living in Nineveh will eat or drink water. ⁸But every person and every animal must be covered with a special cloth to show they are sad. People must cry loudly to God. Everyone must change their life and stop doing bad things. ⁹Who knows? Maybe God will stop being angry and change his mind, and we will not be punished.
¹⁰God saw what the people did. He saw that they stopped doing evil. So God changed his mind and did not do what he planned. He did not punish the people.

OBSERVATION: It may surprise us that God changes His mind about certain verdicts that He proclaims, but as we meditate on this Scripture today, let’s try to keep in mind that we serve a forgiving God, and One who knows all about the children that He created, and their decisions. He is willing to forgive, if we ask in sincerity.

APPLICATION: God’s knowledge is far greater than any man can imagine, and His understanding is beyond anything we are capable of. He knew about all that was going on in Nineveh, so He prepared the heart of Jonah for action, and for ministry at just the right moment. Jonah was so upset at all that the people of Nineveh was doing that he saw no reason why God wouldn’t destroy the whole lot of them. However, God knew that if the people were reminded of their wrongs and given a choice to divert from those wrongs and follow a better way (God’s way), that they would do it. So God chose a man who had just been redeemed from his disobedience and sin, to hear, and then give the message of God’s forgiveness to the Ninevites. We see where God’s message impacted the people and they turned from their sin, while the man who was forgiven of his sin (Jonah) struggled with God’s decision to forgive His people. God changed His mind about destroying the Ninevites, because they listened to His Word and sought forgiveness. Jonah had received forgiveness for his blatant disobedience, but couldn’t stand to see God also forgive the Ninevites. Friends, we may be more like Jonah than we care to acknowledge. After all, have you looked at an ex-prisoner with doubt about their claim to Christianity while in prison? Have you voted against restoring a pastor, or an elder to their position of honor, after almost destroying your church through a sinful act? It may be even more challenging for us to forgive a family member who came to his senses, sought God’s forgiveness, and now asking for forgiveness from his earthly family. I believe it may behoove us to remember that anyone that is forgiven by God, is actually cleared for heaven. Anyone who refuses to forgive someone redeemed by God, is actually sinning against God, because He wants us to love and get along with all of His children. What then will you do dear friend? Can you honestly forgive those whom God has forgiven, or must you work out your own vendetta against them? I’m sure you know the right answer to this quandary, so I would merely ask that you speak with God and seek His direction in helping you love everyone He loves and forgive everyone He has already forgiven.

PRAYER: As Your humble servants, please Lord, teach us to love like You do and teach us to forgive everyone that You have forgiven. It’s not our place to hold grudges and to judge the heart condition of others, but instead make every effort to love and encourage others who are battling the same trials and troubles that we face every day. Please forgive us where we fail each and every day, Lord. May others see the love of Jesus outpoured through us in every interaction with us, so that You may be glorified precious Lord. AMEN!

Are You Doing Your Part?

On 2020-12-102020-12-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-12-10
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 145:3-4
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ³The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;
    His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.
    No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.
⁴One generation after another will celebrate Your great works;
    they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children.

OBSERVATION: Isn’t it easy to sit back and blame the parents next door for their rude kids, or sit at the back of the church so you could analyze every little twitch or movement of the kids in front of you? But, based on our Scripture today, I would beg of you to really look for reasons to praise your living God – yes, especially in the presence of the children, and then be diligent in sharing the awesome story of your salvation and the goodness of God with each and every one of them. Be thinking of the ways our younger generation could be impacted by you meditate with me!

APPLICATION: Common words heard from many adults range from: ‘What is wrong with the children today’ to ‘I know we were never that disrespectful in our day’! But since I consider myself a part of a generation, while other generations exists around me, then I can easily conclude that the Scripture is speaking directly to me today and encouraging me to take action. You see, our younger generation is constantly learning from us. Yes, I know, you keep your mouth shut and you try hard to not interfere in the business of others. However, you will teach a younger person several lessons, depending on your attitude, actions and words, such as: a). Let the person next to you assume the responsibility for what God has called you to do. They can teach the kids; b). No need to care about the welfare of others, for they have the government to lean on for that; c). You have made it this far in life, and those kids will somehow do the same. No need for your input; d). Church is unimportant, and God is there if you need Him. The pastor is only after your money. You learned your life-principles from your mom, and so will they. Friends, children will learn from us as they watch us in action and as they listen to us speak. Don’t blame them for what they are doing, they learnt it from us. I’m sitting on the edge of a beautiful lake, and as I look into the water I don’t see a blank slate. I see the reflection, or a mirror of the trees around the lake. In this case that’s a beautiful sight. But when you look at our younger generation and watch their actions and hear their speech, is it a beautiful reflection of what they are mirroring from you and I? Notice that I included verse 3 above. It shows a part of the praise that David was lifting up to his loving God. Some of us try to mirror that aspect of David’s life, hoping that as we worship God and sing of His wondrous works, others might mirror our worshipful attitudes and do the same. Ashamedly, I am also reminded that others are also mirroring those times that my attitude stinks, or my words were spoken in anger. We want others to reflect our best attitudes and actions. Shouldn’t we aim to always let our lives reflect the goodness of God and His loving attitude at all times, so that our younger generation will have great role models? Oh that God will work miraculously in our lives, for His glory, and for the benefit of those seeking to mirror a solid, worthy, forgiven believer in Christ.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, thank You for being such an awesome, righteous, loyal role model for us to follow. Please help us daily, as Your faithful followers, to seek Your grace and Your favor to help us live just like You. Others are watching, and they are looking for good role models. Oh that they will not be disappointed in following us, Your forgiven children who are seeking to follow You faithfully. May our younger generation be better than us, because they had good role models to follow – ones that imitated You in every aspect of life. AMEN!

Christmas Gift Ideas

On 2020-12-082020-12-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Christian love, Christmas, Forgiveness, gifts, Humble, Kindness, Love, PatienceLeave a comment

Friday, 2020-12-08

Bible Reference: Colossians 3:12-14
Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: ¹²God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. ¹³Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity.

OBSERVATION: At Christmas time we seem to easily find room in our hearts to be kind to others. In our verses today Paul reminds us of what all God did for us, and how that should lead us to do the same for others. So as we meditate on this today, may it stir up within us many ideas on how we might bless others at Christmas!

APPLICATION: Most children are probably looking forward to Christmas because of the gifts they have asked for, and expect to receive. As adults, Paul has reminded us of the gracious gifts that are ours, in being a child of the most high God! Here are some of the gifts mentioned by Paul: 1). God has made us His holy people – imagine that – steeped in sin and very much a part of Satan’s army, yet when we felt the call on our life by Jesus, and surrendered our life to Him, we were adopted into the sonship of the Most Holy God! That is beyond comprehension, and could only be imagined through faith in the truth of God’s Holy Word; 2). God loves us – ‘Love’ is an awesome word that we use, and even abuse in our lifetime, but it takes on such a special meaning when the holy Son of God loves a child that has been so blatant in sin, and asked for His forgiveness. Oh that we may find it in our hearts to love like that this Christmas! But because of all that God blessed us with, here are some gifts that we may give to others, knowing that He will continue pouring out His gracious love to us: Show mercy towards others; Be kind to others; Be humble towards others; Be gentle to others; Be patient with others; Don’t be angry with others; Forgive others; and LOVE others. Friends, the best news of all about these godly gifts, compared to our usual gift giving, is that there will be no increase in credit card bills whatsoever! So why not read over this devotional again as Christmas draws closer, and concentrate on all the gody gifts that you can extend to family and friends. Be instrumental in teaching them God’s ways and His teachings through your example this Christmas! Others just may see that you have a heart like that of Jesus, because you showed that you cared for them!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for Christmas, and the precious gift of Your Son! Thank You for teaching us about the many precious gifts that You bless us with, and then through your servant Paul, teaching us how we might extend to others the many gifts that You have showered on us. Please help us to make someone’s Christmas special this year, simply by showering them with the character of Your Son, and the godly gifts mentioned in our Scripture today. AMEN!

A Glimpse of Heaven

On 2020-12-042020-12-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heaven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

What If We Are Given As We Deserve?

On 2020-11-292020-11-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recognizing God’s Awesome Power!

On 2020-05-25 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Love, Love of God, Power of God, PowerfulLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-06-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Job 38:4-9
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb? That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds, and tucked it in safely at night.

OBSERVATION: Anytime we feel like God has abandoned us, the book of Job would be a good book to reflect on. Further, if there was ever a time when you may have felt like you really had this ‘life’ thing figured out, I believe that this particular chapter, and conversation God had with Job, would be a great reminder of how you need to get a grip on yourself, open your heart and mind to what God has to say and make every effort to surrender control of your life back to God.

APPLICATION: I believe that Job felt like God and everyone around him had withdrawn their love and relationship from him, so for several chapters Job had really been criticizing God and blaming Him for wrongful punishment. His friends had made attempts to love on, and correct Job, but it seems like he was really having a hard time snapping out of it. God finally had enough and decided to give Job some perspective on who He really is. Friends, I believe that We have excellent reminders here of how God carefully, intricately and powerfully put this planet together, then He created us to enjoy its many blessings. If He loves us that much, won’t He all the more take care of our problems, concerns and difficulties while we live here, if we would only humble ourselves and ask Him to? Friends, I was reminded in a recent sermon from Isaiah 40:7-12 that although this earth is made up of two thirds water, yet God said that the oceans and its water is held in the cup of His hand. The earth’s dimensions are measured across the span of His fingertips! Whom, or what then shall we fear? When old Satan tries to distract us with untruths we need to remind ourselves and Satan that our God is so much bigger than our largest problem or concern. I believe also that His love is greater than anything we could ever imagine. So with all this in mind, why would we ever follow in Job’s footsteps and worry about our problems, or blame God for our circumstances. It is so important that we learn to worship God before we ever start to ask Him for anything or complain about anything. When we praise Him, we remind ourselves of His awesome love and power. Don’t you suppose that our problems become less of an issue or worry to us when we remind ourselves of the awesomeness of our beautiful, wonderful, matchless, all-powerful God? I certainly believe so!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please forgive me for often trying to take the reins of life from You. It is very obvious that You created me and all that is around me, so please forgive me when I whine and complain. I am but Your humble servant, You are the Potter, and I am but the clay that is moldable and usable by You. As I recognize You and allow you control of my life, I can actually be at peace, and my problems then would seem to disappear. Lord, I believe this is vital to our witness, for if the unsaved world see us worrying as much about the concerns of this life as they do, we are showing them that we are as lost and uncared for as they are. This is very wrong, so I ask forgiveness, and I ask for added strength every day to stay focused on You and Your wondrous love for me. For my friends that might meditate on this devotional today, please fill their hearts with Your peace, and the determination to overcome evil, and worldly problems with the love and dedication that only You can provide. Thank You Jesus for loving us this much! All this I therefore ask, in the matchless name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: church