Tag: Envy

Finding Joy in What God Provides: A Reflection

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s WordLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Tuesday, March 25, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Florida Hunting Adventures, Okeechobee, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read it in your Bible or click James 4:1-10 to read it in The Message (MSG).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
I seldom quote the Message Bible, but when I present the scripture to my ‘Nuggets’ readership, I try to find the version that, I feel, best relays the message to you in an understanding, yet accurate, way. Friends, it seems like we are a people who ‘want’ everything we see, especially those things that others are blessed with. In our focal passage today, James, under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, helps us to understand, from God’s perspective, why our wants don’t always become a reality. Yes, very often this may even be the case for, what we feel are, the best ‘Christians’ we know. This might tend to play on our emotions, because we fail to understand why God would not allow His children to have everything, they/we believe we should have. Please allow me to encourage you to click on the Scripture referenced above and read this short passage of 10 verses. But before you do so, stop for a minute and ask God to open your eyes and understanding to what He wants you to gain from this. I can only share what the Holy Spirit opens my eyes and heart to. I remember in the working world, we would have several employees read over a government regulation, but often we would all come up with something slightly different, according to our approach and to what we wanted from the regulation! In our world today, there is no hiding of the fact that there are quarrels amidst the best of families, churches, social clubs and community groups, even when the majority of these groups consists of believers in Jesus Christ. In our Scripture today, I believe that God wants to peel back the evil desires that lurk inside of us and show us what He wants from a faithful servant with a pure heart who desires to do what God wants, rather than what we want for ourselves.
In verses 2-3, the Holy Spirit spoke deeply to my soul, in that although we are envious of what others might have, and we want so much more than what we already have, yet the Bible says that we refuse to ask God for it, because we know we shouldn’t have it – much like spoiled children. Think about how true this is! I love boats, so I might look at a beautiful boat and imagine my wife and I enjoying retirement cruising around the Bahamas leisurely. But then I wake up and realize that my current efforts in ministry, and my budget, would never afford that type of lifestyle, not even the upkeep of the boat. That’s just one example out of many that we could think of. Why lust over these things that God has not opened the doors of heaven to provide, or make available, to us? If we instead concentrate on doing the very best with what God has provided to us, and the opportunities He has opened the doors for, I am convinced that we would be blessed with a peace and joy that could only be attributed to our King who provides for His children.
Another favorite in today’s study is verses 5-6 from the NLT: God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him… Then Proverbs 3:34 is quoted: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Friends, we must always remember who we are, and who it is that reigns over us. This deserves humility on our part, for we are like dust. God created us in His image so them we may imitate His obedience, just as He is obedient to the Father, His love and actions for others so that they may experience the love of God through His people, and so that we may worship Him for choosing to love us and work through us. Friends, let us always remember that it is God who deserves our praise and our daily worship. Let’s continually give honor where honor is due for, He gives grace in abundance to His children. I believe that seasoned believers eventually learn to praise God not only when we feel blessed in every aspect of life, but also when we don’t get what we ask for. In both cases God is showing His love in giving us what we need and what we could handle to enhance our walk with Him. When we are faithful to God, we will recognize that He is always faithful to us. Let us live as children of the King – blessed and highly favored.

PRAYER
Because of my recent travels, this devotional has taken me a while to complete, but I am convinced that this is what You wanted me to receive from this Scripture that is rich in direction for the believer. Thank You Jesus for always loving us so much that You gently open the doors of understanding and pour out Your Word upon us, so that we might believe, obey and draw closer to You. I am convinced Lord, that if we do our part in drawing closer to You every day, that You will provide for our needs and show Your love in amazing ways that we would never expect or deserve. You gave Your very best for us oh Lord, please help us to be consistent in giving of our best to You every day, so that the world will take note and believe in the one true God. Especially those over whom we have the slightest influence. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

Our Testimony

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, Salvation, Sin1 Comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Titus 3:3-7
Today’s Bible Text: 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong. We were slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds. We spent our lives in malice and envy; others hated us and we hated them. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed, 5 he saved us. It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us. 6 God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.
The Bible Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)

My Take Away: In giving guidance to Titus about what to expect in ministry, Paul shared with him that he should be patient with the people, because he will find that they are no different to what they each experienced in their lives. In other words, Titus would find them in a foolish, sinful state. He would find them living hateful lives filled with malice and envy.  But they (Paul and Titus) were each the same, at one point in their lives. However, just like Paul wanted Titus to also remember how awesome God’s precious love was towards them, I believe God is reminding us, that when we approach folk who are steeped in sin, let’s never forget that we too were once in that very same condition. In fact the Bible tells us that even while we were still sinners, Jesus humbled Himself and sacrificed His life at Calvary so that we would not have to face eternal damnation for our sin, if we didn’t want to. He knew we were helpless and need all the help we could get. So He provided a perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin – if we desire to seek His forgiveness and His hand of mercy and grace. Friends, we must be careful to never look down on people because of their sin. Yes, we want to see them change, but remember that’s a God thing, for only He can change a heart. Someone prayed for us, and one day we saw the awful stain and effects of sin in our lives, so we surrendered ourselves to the love and protection of our Master – Jesus Christ. We therefore have a responsibility to pray for our friends who, though they may seem hopeless to us, yet God has not given up on them, anymore than He loved us and never gave up on us. Let’s try to share our testimony with as many people as possible so that they can appreciate the love of God in saving us, knowing that He can also rescue them and turn their lives around.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for loving me enough to save me from a life of sin (unforgiveness, hatefulness, malice and envy). Even when I was deep in sin, You were on the cross praying that I would see hope in salvation from my sin. Father, I become frustrated when I see family and friends in that same dilemma, because I know that there is hope, and a Savior who made a way for their salvation. Please help me to do my part in praying for them, as You alone have the power to actually change their hearts and their desires. Please prompt your children with a desire to see their loved ones saved, and then to pray earnestly for them to recognize the Savior of this world. We need You desperately dear Lord. Please have Your will and way in our lives and the lives of those we love and hold dear to our heart. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, my wonderful Lord and Savior, AMEN!

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

2016