We Have A Father Who Cares for Us!

On 2023-03-252023-03-25 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, 2023-03-25
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 12:29-31
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁹Don’t reduce your life to the pursuit of food and drink; don’t let your mind be filled with anxiety. ³⁰People of the world who don’t know God pursue these things, but you have a Father caring for you, a Father who knows all your needs.
³¹Since you don’t need to worry—about security and safety, about food and clothing—then pursue God’s kingdom first and foremost, and these other things will come to you as well.

OBSERVATION: The good Dr. Luke shared most of a chapter in his book to try and reassure us that as a child of our heavenly Father, we have nothing to worry about. As an eyeopener, Luke reminds us that we act like our old selves – pagans, when we worry about whether our God can do everything He has promised to us. Because worry is still prevalent in the minds and lives of believers today, we are reminded once again that God’s Word is fresh, alive and well. In our state of forgetfulness, we may tend to forget the promises of God, so stay tuned as we look into this reminder once again.

APPLICATION: Children tend not to worry about whether they have enough food, or whether the next meal is possible, or not. But as we grow older, learn about God and His mighty works, and hear of those starving in the world, we tend to start worrying about whether we will find food for tomorrow. Through this writer, God reminds us that this type of worry is indicative of the heathen, and we should learn to check our faith whenever this occurs. Think about it, if our Father created this world in which we live, and He formed us in our mother’s womb, will He not take good, good, care of us each day? To emphasize this, Luke reminds us of the great care that God takes of the birds, and seeing that He created us in His image, how much more will He take care of us. While growing up I remember my mom using the phrase ‘an idle mind is the devil’s playground’! Luke indicated a similar statement when he told us that because there was no need to worry, instead make ourselves a student of the Word – pursue God and His kingdom, for as we do, we will see God’s plan coming together for us. Friends, I trust that you will join with me in consistently reading God’s Word, and really trying to obey His commands and follow His teachings. Think about it, when we use our time to do other things, we will learn from those practices and try to imitate them. However, if we pursue God, His Word, His righteousness and His kingdom then whenever we feel a worrisome moment coming on, it will be natural for us to draw close to the Master, depend on His promises, and calmly wait on the Lord for His all-powerful hand to comfort us, cheer us, and protect us while we continue to grow in the knowledge of His Word, the power of His hand, and the love of God that surpasses all human understanding. Dear friends, we must strive to live out the teachings Jesus meant for us to know and practice, so that we may be content in all His ways.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We have a Father who cares for us! Praise the Lord!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are so precious to us! You died on Calvary with us in mind, even though we are still sinners in need of a Savior. In today’s Scripture, we are reminded that You provide for our daily needs, and I believe You will do this even when we are unworthy of such honor and provision. Thank You Lord for loving us, even when we struggle in loving You back in return, and when we ignore Your love and Your provision and tend to worry instead. Lord, I believe in You. Please help my unbelief so that it would never lead me to doubt Your mighty power, and start to worry. 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!

Don’t Underestimate The Power Of God

On 2023-03-242023-03-24 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, All-powerful, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, God's Power, Needs, Power, Power of God, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Victory, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Friday, 2023-03-24
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 25:7-9
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷… a prophet went to the king and said to him, “Don’t take these Israelite soldiers with you. The Lord is not with these people from the Northern Kingdom. ⁸You may think that they will make you stronger in battle, but it is God who has the power to give victory or defeat, and he will let your enemies defeat you.”
⁹Amaziah asked the prophet, “But what about all that silver I have already paid for them?”
The prophet replied, “The Lord can give you back more than that!”

OBSERVATION: In verse 2 of 2 Chronicles 25, we are told that Amaziah was a king who did what was pleasing to God, but he did it reluctantly. No, you read my words correctly, I said this was Amaziah, not you! Although we do seem to act that way in our display of obedience to God, don’t we? But let’s tune into what happens when we follow the will of God – especially in the major decisions of life.

APPLICATION: Think about a time when you lit a fire in the woods, perhaps to roast marshmallows. Let’s assume the fire got away from you. What might be your first instinct on how to stop the spread of that fire? Now assume that you live in a close community and your house caught on fire. What might be your first reaction to control the fire from spreading to your neighbor’s house? Now assume the same thing happened at church. What might you do? I seriously doubt if anyone responded that they would call a group prayer meeting to seek God’s direction. But isn’t that what we practice when troubles arise, or when a serious response is needed for a complex issue? Snap decisions! Don’t you gather that this is exactly what King Amaziah did when he decided that he would go to war against Edom? Isn’t that what we tend to do instinctively when we know that trouble is brewing, and our attention is needed? So, let’s look into the consequences of Amaziah’s snap decisions. a). He felt like he needed more military men, if he was going to bring down Edom, so he chose to pay a large sum of silver for leasing additional men. b). He had to decide if to trust the word from an unnamed prophet and that he actually received a word from God. If Azaiah didn’t have faith enough in God to ask for His opinion about Edom, why would he listen to a prophet that the Scriptures did not even name? c). I wonder if Amaziah knew anything about God not being with the northern kingdom at the time. The Scripture does not clarify, but would the king have been so bold as to work out a deal with them for fighting on his side, if he knew that God was against them? d). Although Amaziah hired the extra men in hopes of winning the battle from sheer numbers, I wonder if he was shocked when the prophet told him that regardless of the numbers, if God was not on his side, he would probably lose the battle? Friends, I’m not sure about you, but I don’t believe I ever gave a thought to the fact that God could either help us win our battles or lose them. I’ve always been a firm believer in telling folk who seem disappointed that God had not heard their cry, that I feel pretty sure God heard them, He just didn’t give the ‘puppet’ response we insisted on Him giving to us. But if we ask a question, it should be that we are looking for a good response. With God, that could be yes, or it could be no. Are you willing to accept the ‘No’ responses as easily as you do with the ‘Yes’ responses that you really want? Can you thank God, and praise Him for the responses that you would rather not hear, because they are the right ones and come with God’s support as you seek His guidance? We serve an awesome, all-powerful God my friend. His responses are always right, and they are right on time. The reason we ask God questions is because we want to make sure that we have the right answer. Be willing to listen and obey. Never question His power. The only reason He might want numbers on the ground is to help the unbelieving public. If He said He will do something, start spending your time preparing instead of questioning His decision!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God has the power to give victory or defeat!

PRAYER: Through the weakness and stubbornness of Amaziah, we gain wisdom on how to best approach Your throne, and also the importance of accepting Your direction and Your promise to be with us always. We are such a hard-headed bunch dear Lord, please draw us close to You and continue to teach us the importance of always looking to You rather than making our own careless and uneducated decisions. You are all-knowing and all-powerful dear God, please help us to not mess up by going off on our own with silly ideas like Amaziah did. May we be so attuned to Your Word, and in such close relationship with You, that the Holy Spirit will easily drive us towards Your truth and Your will. Please open the eyes of the unsaved and draw them to Yourself. May they see You in Your greatness and desire a close and intimate relationship with You. Please help us to not be a stumbling block in the path of Your ministry to others. AMEN!

Stand Firm and Hold Tight

On 2023-03-232023-03-23 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Obedient, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Stand Firm, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, 2023-03-22
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹³….. We cannot help but thank God for you at all times, because from the beginning He handpicked you for salvation through the Spirit’s sanctifying work and your belief in the truth. ¹⁴He called you to this when we shared our good news with you. Now you can take part in the glory of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. ¹⁵So, brothers and sisters, all you need to do now is stand firm and hold tight to the line of teachings we have passed on to you….

OBSERVATION: There are some key observations in the Scripture verses today that will cause us to know that our salvation is not happenchance but something that occurred because of the provision, love and spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have been blessed with this salvation of which I speak, try to follow the direction by Paul to stand firm in what you believe, and hold on tight to the promises given to you by God!

APPLICATION: Pastors come, and pastors go, so over your lifetime as a church goer you may have been blessed with the ministry of several different pastors. I wonder how many of them can, and would consider, writing back to a congregation they served and make a similar wish as to what Paul did to the church at Thessalonica. One big difference is that Paul’s letter to his church was incentivized by God Himself, as God wanted His church – the ongoing church of Jesus Christ, to learn from Paul’s teaching. That’s how this got included in the Bible, whereas any letters from your previous pastors may not have made the cut! However, I feel like we should learn from what Paul included in his letter and see whether we might display such qualities in our own church:

Handpicked, or chosen, by God – Paul reminded the church that they did not come about by chance, but were chosen by God as one to lead in the example of salvation brought on by the Spirit;
Sanctification – God desires a sanctified people, so He brought it about in this early church;
He called them – The church heard the gospel when it was preached by Paul and his team, and because they believed, God called them to Himself, to operate in a way that would be pleasing and honorable to Him;
Paul was happy to see that God’s glory was shared with the church – Interesting how people will notice when Jesus is involved, and they see Him being glorified. Some churches choose to promote their ministry, their pastor, their teachers, their beautiful church building, but it’s God and God alone who deserves the praise and glory for all that He is doing in and through His church.

Friends, when God is at work in His church, the world will see that the church is real and indeed serving the living God. When the church is apparently flourishing from programs and personalities, then the church fails when these things fade away or no longer exist. Paul encouraged the church to stand firm in what they first believed. Paul knew that he was meticulous in what he shared, so if they refer back to what they first believed, and then aim at passing that along to others who come seeking, the church of Jesus Christ would flourish. Is your church flourishing today, in spite of the many ways that Satan is pushing hard to destroy the work of Christ? If it’s not, then perhaps it’s time to do like Paul encouraged his church to do – go back to what you first believed and honor Christ for who He is, not in what we’ve become. Stand firm in the faith my friend. Be a part of a church that also stands firm in the One in whom they first believed.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Take part in the glory of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.

PRAYER: I feel blessed to have heard this direction given by Paul to the church at Thessalonica, because I feel like God is still challenging the church today to not wander away from what He first ordained the church to be. Please challenge Your church today, oh Lord – my church, to be so mindful of sharing the teachings of Jesus Christ, that those who walk through our doors will find the presence of the Almighty permeating the whole facility in which we meet to worship, pray, teach, preach, and grow our young ones. I realize that it will be up to us to surrender ourselves back to You and stop promoting ourselves and our programs. It’s Your church dear God, the place where You live and operate. May this be obvious as we meet in Your name to worship You. I’m afraid that we have made Your house something that we think the world is looking for, but I beg You to get our attention and direct us to making Your house what You would have it be. When this happens, You will draw all men unto yourself and Your blessings will flow. Please help us to not interfere with what You desire of us, so that You name might be magnified, and Your people come to You in droves. Speak Lord, and may Your servants hear, believe and obey. AMEN!

‘Life’ – Never Measured By Possessions

On 2023-03-212023-03-21 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Priorities, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, 2023-03-21
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 12:15; 20-21;
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁵ Speaking to the people, Jesus continued, “Be alert and guard your heart from greed and from always wishing for what you don’t have. For your life can never be measured by the amount of things you possess.”
²⁰“God said to him, ‘What a fool you are to trust in your riches and not in me! This very night the messengers of death will take your life. Then who will get all the wealth you have stored up for yourself?’ ²¹The same thing will happen to all those who fill up their lives with everything but God.”

OBSERVATION: In verse 15, Jesus addressed the crowd after a young man asked for Jesus to get involved in having his brother share up their dad’s estate. In verse 20-21 Jesus responded to a man who felt like his riches would soon be sufficient to allow him to sit back, relax and enjoy life. In both cases, Jesus wanted us to be aware that no matter what earthly things we allow to fill our hearts and satisfy our earthly needs, they count for naught in the Kingdom of Heaven. How is it with you, is there a good balance between your earthly cravings and your heavenly relationship with Jesus, that He might be pleased with?

APPLICATION: Those working secular jobs for a paycheck and insurance benefits, if available, will probably work 40 hours per week. For those who love their job and seeking to move ahead on the job, will gladly and willingly work additional hours, as needed. I once told the relatives of a deceased fellow employee that almost half of their loved one’s awake hours were spent in the business place with us coworkers! For those who are not lazy, they will spend their time at home cleaning, cooking, yard work, attending kid’s ball games, etc. But how much quality time can we say is attributed to the study of God’s Word, and spending time alone with Him in prayer? Have we made ourselves so busy that we’ve left little time to spend with our Creator? Most of us spend an inordinate amount of time at work, because we have over obligated ourselves financially, and we need more income to make our budget work. Does this sound like Jesus may have been speaking to us when He responded to the brother who was trying to get more money out of his dad’s estate? Or in the challenge that Jesus placed before the man who worked so diligently to attain his desired level of worth? Friends, if you were asked ‘In whom, or in what, do you place your trust?’, and if this was not at church, what might you respond? I’m afraid that some will respond ‘my work or profession’ but some might respond ‘in my wife/husband’ while some may even respond ‘in my bank account’. I believe that Jesus might challenge us with the same point that He made to the two men in today’s Scripture: ‘If you weren’t so greedy for everything you see, or in what someone else has, then you might see the most important needs of your life each and every day – right at home’. Or Jesus might say ‘what will happen to those you have responsibility for, if you were called out of this world tonight?’. In other words, I believe Jesus will give us some perspective into the people and things that should have our attention, vs the time we waste on everything and everyone else. It’s easy for us to calculate the hours we spend at work, because many will complete a timesheet for the payroll manager. And although God is not concerned about tallying up the hours you spend with Him, I believe that He is disappointed when we make time for every thing and every person in our lives, except the One who created us, and loved us enough that He sent His very own Son as a sacrifice for our sins. We may work overtime in order to pay our debts, but we could never do, say or even love enough to thank God for the awesome sacrifice made at Calvary for our heavenly benefit. I seriously doubt if God requires anything in return for the sacrifice He made for us. Thankfully, God built into us a sense of appreciation for those things or people that helps us along in life. How are you showing that appreciation, dear friend? I was told repeatedly at work that my job was never complete until I had someone trained to do it in my absence. I believe that the ‘Life’ referred to in verse 15 is that our time here on earth is incomplete if we fail to share our appreciation with God about all that He has done for us. A loved one once told me that it was not until she was on her back, with little choice but to look up, that she realized what should be important in her life. We could avoid a similar experience by putting our minds to it and deciding to live as appreciative children of the Most High God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our life cannot be measured by the money we made, the things we owned or the people we hung out with. Only the things we did for Jesus will last, be remembered and valued by Almighty God!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, we do a fair job at completing the things that we make a priority. But as You reminded us in the Scriptures today, those priorities produce temporal results. As a child I was told ‘only what’s done for Jesus will last’, and I am still reminded of that truth in today’s Word. Teach us Lord to remember our Creator and all that You did for us, especially on Calvary. May our days never be more important than the times that we spend with You each day. Please forgive us Lord for minimizing our time with You so that we could make more time for our family, our job, our church, or even our health center. Teach us how to make You first in our lives again, and to show this through the priorities we make. Please Lord, touch the hearts and lives of our unsaved loved ones and friends. May they see Jesus as a priority in our lives and want to do the same in theirs. AMEN!

Abandon God and He Will Abandon You

On 2023-03-202023-03-20 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED: Monday, 2023-03-20
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 24:17-20
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ^17-18Then the officials of Judah (who had abandoned the house of the Eternal One, the True God of their ancestors, to follow Asherim and other idols) came and bowed down to the king, convincing him to listen to their advice. Joash, in the absence of Jehoiada, then led the nation to abandon God. God was infuriated with Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁹In spite of His anger, the Eternal sent prophets to tell the people how they had sinned and that they should repent. But they did not listen.
²⁰Then the Spirit of the True God possessed Zechariah, Jehoiada the priest’s son, giving him a message for the people.
Zechariah (standing above the people): The True God has a message for you: “Why do you disobey the Eternal’s commands? You will not have prosperous lives as long as you continue this. Since you have abandoned Him, He has abandoned you.”

OBSERVATION: I love our court system! Defense attorneys will fight hard for their clients, even if it means looking back over decisions made in previous, similar cases. My subject for this devotional was deduced from a previous case, as you can see in verse 20 above in today’s Scripture. Wouldn’t this make you make you even more concerned for folk who want nothing to do with God…. until the serious health challenges of a loved one, or some other disaster in their life? I believe we should give this our full attention and see what God may be saying to us individually.

APPLICATION: I didn’t really pick up on the condition made in verse one of this chapter, until I read the verses we are looking at today. I was very impressed that in verse one, we were told that Joash became king at age 7, and in spite of the sins of his ancestors, Joash did what was pleasing to God – throughout the life of Jehoiada. Think long and hard about that dear friends. We may have friends who are rebels today, but they appeared to be close to the Lord when their mother was alive, or as long as their deceased wife led the way in church attendance. But perhaps we should examine and try to understand the relationship we enter into with our Lord Jesus. When we, of our own intuition, and from the depths of our heart, acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Ruler of our life, we should desire a close and personal relationship with Him so that we could draw intimacy with Him, and draw even closer to Him as we communicate and learn about Him each day. We will not permit this type of relationship to be broken by any outsider, nor will we follow any other leader that may strive to interfere with or try to diminish that relationship. However, if we follow the footsteps of Joash in allowing another person to influence or drive our relationship with God, then it could mean that we will only stay true to that relationship with God as long as that person is around. This reminds me of growing up, where we stayed true to the wishes and demands of our parents as long as we were around them, or around anyone who knew them. However, when given the freedom to hang with friends, or to display our independent thinking, things often changed in our behavior and our actions! But things are a little different with our relationship with God, for He is everywhere, and He is all-knowing. So given the facts, and challenged by the statement God gave to Zechariah that He will abandon us, if we abandon Him, isn’t that enough to challenge the lifestyle and character of the child of God, especially when we think we are all alone and operating independently of anyone else? Be reminded dear friend that God never sleeps, nor is He deaf or blind to our every action, word or deed. Although He is God, He is willing to leave us to our own vices if we seek separation from Him. But know that God is pure, holy and righteous, and He will honor everything He promised to us, if we are faithful to Him. If we commit ourselves to Him and seek to live under His lordship, then we can count on His wonderful grace, and His almighty hand and wisdom to protect and guide us safely through the roughest times here on earth and into the portals of Heaven where He is. Think positively my friend! I’m afraid that Satan is way too active in your life when you hear words like abandonment. Please don’t let him pull you down to his level. God said that He would never leave you nor forsake you if you desire relationship with Him. Remind Satan of that whenever you think you hear him pulling you down and away from God. Take your life in Jesus Christ seriously, for He has prepared a place for you in heaven, and only your rejection of His grace, His power, His love and His provisions will cause Him to let you go or abandon you.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: If we remain strong in our faith and continue the relationship that we first sought with our Master and Lord, then He will always stick closer than a brother until we reach the shores of Heaven.

PRAYER: Your grace and Your love is always admired and appreciated heavenly Father, and I thank You for sending Your Son so that I could live in expectation of the place You have prepared for me. Thank You Lord Jesus! You are known for Your consistency and for fulfilling Your promises, so please help us to always stay strong in our relationship with You, regardless of the temptations and threats received from the evil one. Of course, You will abandon the one who walks away from You and dismisses their relationship with You, but Lord, I stand on the promises of God, for I am committed to spending my whole life serving and honoring You until You call me home to glory. Please forgive me when I fail but help me to remain committed to always serving and loving You. Since a child, I was taught that Jesus never fails. I also believe that You will never abandon the one fully committed to You in life and desirous of being with You in glory. Lord, in Your wisdom, please speak to the hearts of those who have chosen to abandon You. Please don’t give up on them. As for the ones who have never invited You into their heart and lives, please speak intently to them once again today. AMEN!

Identify Yourself Unashamedly With Christ

On 2023-03-182023-03-18 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Unashamed, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, 2023-03-18
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 12:8-10
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁸That’s why I keep telling you not to be intimidated. If you identify unashamedly with Me before others, I, the Son of Man, will affirm you before God and all the heavenly messengers. ⁹But if you deny Me before others, you will be denied before God and all the heavenly messengers. ¹⁰People can speak a word against Me, the Son of Man, and the sin is forgivable. But they can go too far, slandering the testimony of the Holy Spirit by rejecting His message about Me, and they won’t be forgiven for that.

OBSERVATION: Jesus had just addressed the subject of hypocrisy, a word that is rooted in the idea of hiding behind a mask, as if ashamed about someone or something. Do you suppose Jesus still sees this in Christians today, or have we learned from the great preaching of today, or possibly from the Bible, that we can be honest about our relationship with Jesus? Hopefully you will examine that thought in your own life as you read my full devotional today!

APPLICATION: To better understand where Jesus may have been coming from, it might be best that we consider how many people use the word ‘hypocrite’ today. If we blame others for abusing alcohol, yet we drink excessively behind closed doors, then we may be referred to as a ‘hypocrite’. If we say we are a Christian, yet there is no sign of Christ-like living in us, then we may be referred to as a ‘hypocrite’. In Jesus’ day, the Jews held claim to being the beloved children of God, so they heavily criticized the Gentiles who could never be ‘good enough’ for the Jews. What do you suppose might be our greatest form of hypocrisy today, as seen by Jesus? Inside our church walls, I believe that all Christians might feel free to claim the name of Jesus, and lift up ‘holy’ hands in praise to Him for His awesome works. And while I may accuse Christians of the road they travel that causes them to lose their witness, I can really only share with you my own personal list of why Jesus might refer to me as a hypocrite. As I leave the church grounds, I might be faced with a reckless driver, at least in my view, and I might struggle with being the same loving and caring child of God to them, as I was able to do inside the church. Some are afraid to attach a bumper sticker with words that might indicate they are ‘Christian’, because they’re afraid that other drivers might look at their driving, or their hand motions and realize that they are not as patient, kind and loving as anything they’ve learned about Jesus. What would Jesus do to those drivers? While waiting on line at the restaurant, we see what appears to be a friend of the host move straight up to the front of the line and escorted into the restaurant. Our faces will probably change color, our demeanor will probably change from bad to worse, and we will not enjoy our meal as much because of, what appeared to us as, unfair practices. What would Jesus do? In dealing with customers while at work, you might do an excellent job for your boss, but what happens when irate customers come in, and they take out their frustration on you? Are you able to keep your calm and let Jesus shine through you to love that customer and still help them all you can? Or do they become even more frustrated because they didn’t see the slightest hint of Jesus in your character? What might Jesus do in that exact scenario? Friends, as long as we are on earth, Satan will find ways to test us to see if he could dissuade us from the idea of keeping Jesus being prominent in our lives. Jesus knew how Satan would be after His disciples, so He helped them prepare the way for many of the temptations that would come their way. Hopefully your church has some strong ministries in place to help you prepare for, and/or harden your stance, while you wait for the day that God will call you out of here. Please try to take advantage of ministries at your church, Sunday School; Small groups; Men’s group; or as applicable – Ladies Group; Prayer and/or Bible Study gatherings; etc. Not only will you find peace in knowing that others share your frustration and/or temptations, but in many cases these groups will be encourages to pray one for another. This will act as a sharpening tool for your faith, persistence and your walk with the Lord. Times with these groups of Christian friends will serve to strengthen your ties with the Lord. Without these, you will face the constant bombardment of the evil one, but you will have no incentive, strength or encouragement to stand firm in your faith. We are challenged in every way by the evil one, so having no support on our side will really serve to weaken us and pull us away from our relationship with the Savior of the World. There is no need to worry when you follow Jesus in obedience to His Word, so be faithful to the One you surrendered your life over to and, stand committed and firm in the same faith that saved you.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: If you identify unashamedly with Me before others, I, the Son of Man, will affirm you before God and all the heavenly messengers! Praise God, if I am proud of Jesus before my peers, He will brag on me before the Father and His angels!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, You endured beatings for me, even though You could have called ten thousand angels to protect every lash of the whip. You endured the embarrassment of the townspeople as you were drug through the streets towards Calvary, and You could have called ten thousand angels to protect you from the lashes and relieve the weight of the cross you had to carry. You endured the agony of being pierced and hung on a cross before Your mother and the crowd – just like the two other criminals, even though they deserved their punishment. Again, You could have called ten thousand angels to protect You, but You were determined to do Your Father’s will, and not Your own. You did all this so that I might have access to an eternity in Heaven with our Holy and Righteous God. Thank You Lord Jesus! I may be called a hypocrite here on earth because I cringe from the questions of the enemy or try to avoid confrontation from them. I’m sure the unsaved must look on and question if I really do have a relationship with You. For my readers and/or listeners who may be facing the same challenge as I do, please draw them close and give them reason today to know that You are close and therefore every reason to stay committed to their union with You and to gain strength from You when times are really challenging here on earth. AMEN!

The Battle’s Not Yours, But God’s

On 2023-03-172023-03-17 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Worry, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED: Friday, 2023-03-17
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 20:15-17
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁵“Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!” he exclaimed. “The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s! ¹⁶Tomorrow, go down and attack them! You will find them coming up the slopes of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’”

OBSERVATION: It may seem like a daily thing for you to stop and question how on earth will you handle the intensity of your situation. For some, it may be your finances, or a sick relative, or a son or daughter facing imprisonment, or your job coming to an end. But the ongoing effect of these issues may force you to doubt your future. How will you possibly go on from here? King Jehoshaphat was a firm believer in the God who created this universe, but he was right in the middle of his people begging for God’s help when the battle seemed larger than himself. Join me for my full devotional as we look into this.

APPLICATION: I believe there comes a time when each of us will face overwhelming challenges, circumstances, or battles, that appear much bigger than anything we have handled in the past or could possibly handle now. What do we normally do, and to whom do we normally turn to, when these things occur. As a child, we turned to mom, dad or an older sibling. As we grew older, it may still be one of these, or it might be a good friend or a pastor or a counselor. Along the way we may be introduced to Jesus. Some accept Him as Lord, and they choose to seek His help in times of overwhelming challenges. However, some find respite in friends, alcohol, drugs, or prescription drugs given for various illnesses, particularly mental illness. In the latter case, some try to drown, or cover up the challenges, since they have no confidence in their ability to properly handle the irregular, yet challenging aspects of life. King Jehoshaphat was told of an unusually large army headed his way and he immediately got nervous about the ability to overcome the humongous challenge ahead of him. The king called together all of his fighting men, but not to strategize their counterattack, but to pray at the temple. Normally, when we are frightened or very upset over something we nervously go before God and get straight to the point. The king did otherwise, for he reflected on the awesome works of God and His immense goodness. Interestingly, God gave His response to a Levite in the midst of those praying. God reminded the king who was really in charge. Why worry about a counterattack that’s not really yours to worry about? God wanted the king and his people to know that He would handle the situation, since this battle was to challenge His authority. Friends, how often do we immediately cry ‘poor me’, or ‘why is everyone picking on me’? How often do we do like Jehoshaphat and make it a priority to consult with God first and humble ourselves before Him for His kindness in spite of our sin and wickedness? Another point of challenge for us in this story is – how often will we trust God at His word and just believe what He said? Do you suppose that your faith is strong enough in the Almighty that you would leave all your ammunition behind and just head out towards the oncoming army with full confidence that God would do what He said He would do? Will you stop your helpers from bringing their weapons or their medications or any other defenses, because You know for sure that it’s God’s battle you’re heading into and you will simply do what He tells you to do? That requires extreme faith, and confidence in our God, my friend. However, King Jehoshaphat and his army did it, and God was true to His word, just as He always is. There’s no need for us to assume God’s battles, He’s got this. We can relax and just ready ourselves for the victory chant – celebrate His Goodness.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The battle – you know, the thing that worries you most, is not yours, but God might be saying to You to truly trust Him to own it and take it on for the victory that only He could render.

PRAYER: Lord, so often we bring our concerns before You, then we sense Your response to reassure us of how You will assume our battles, but we keep hanging in there, worrying beyond anything we could handle, instead of surrendering the wheel of control to You. It boils down to lack of faith. Please forgive us Lord, for we are so human that we find it almost impossible to believe that You have the wheel and will do more than we could imagine or hope for. You are so much more powerful than us, but with just a small amount of faith, we could stand victorious knowing that You’ve got this. Please forgive us where we fail in this and help us to stand firm in all that You have promised to do for us. The unsaved are watching, so may our faith in the one true God show them why we feel it important to also know Him personally. AMEN!

Our Faithful God

On 2023-03-152023-03-15 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Faithful, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, 2023-03-15
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 145:14-16; 20
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴The Eternal sustains all who stumble on their way. For those who are broken down, God is near. He raises them up in hope. ¹⁵All eyes have turned toward You, waiting in expectation; when they are hungry, You feed them right on time. ¹⁶The desires of every living thing are met by Your open hand.
²⁰All of you who love God – He will watch out for you, but total destruction is around the corner for all the wicked.

OBSERVATION: I often wonder how my family and friends without Christ must get along in life without the peace of God and the reassuring power of the One who created and operates this whole universe. For I am so content in knowing that my God reigns, and He is able to do more than we could every see or imagine. What a comfort to know Jesus as my Savior and to know that I could turn off the ‘worry’ button and just let Him have His way in our lives. What a faithful God we serve!

APPLICATION: Just in case we might be wavering on who our God is, or whether He is able to do all that He says in His Word, I find it comforting that the Psalmist penned the words in Psalm 145! For I believe that he was able to speak from personal experience and personal encounters with our awesome God! Be reminded of some key elements that the Holy Spirit promoted David to share about the faithfulness of his/our God:

He sustains us when we stumble. This is especially interesting as I sit with older relatives who suffer from stumbling. Imagine still being able to continue on, knowing that our strength comes from the Lord! He sustains us even when, humanly, we tend to stumble. That’s our awesome God!
When we fall and feel unable to get back up, God is near, and He shows His presence by giving us strength to rise with the hope of moving forward knowing that God is by our side.
He feeds us, right on time. No worries about where the money will come from for groceries, or whether the store/restaurant is open, God will provide right on time. And God takes responsibility for mankind, and His precious animals as well. Imagine the thought of God opening His hand and allowing His creation to simply meet their needs! Wow!

But, less we become complacent and begin thinking that this awesome God will just care for everyone and show complete mercy on everyone – regardless of their decisions, actions, mindset, etc. We must also see in verse 20 that David reminds us that total destruction will come to the wicked. Friends, please be reminded that unless you accept the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your final destination will be eternal destruction in Hell with Satan. This is so opposite to what the believer in Jesus Christ can expect, but we serve a very just God. He will do what He promised, no matter the ties that bind the unbeliever with the believer.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The desires of every living thing are met by the open hand of God! Oh what a Savior!

PRAYER: Lord You are God, and beside You there is no other. In our world today we find so many different religions and often their teaching will be so different that we might wonder how many gods there are. However, David reminds us of the One True God who will respond in one of two ways, depending on our decision regarding His Son. We enjoy heaven on earth, if we have accepted Jesus as Lord. However, for those who chose to ignore Jesus, they will not only experience Hell here on earth, but they will encounter more of the same, and even worse after death. The response for mankind appears obvious, but it seems almost impossible for some to believe, trust and accept. Open our eyes Lord, that we may see, glimpses of You like that explained by David. Please teach us to follow Your will so that we may enjoy Your promises of life eternally around the feet of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all eternity. AMEN!

Live Worthy of God’s Calling

On 2023-03-142023-03-14 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, How to Live, Live in peace, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, 2023-03-14
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: With this in mind, we constantly pray that our God will empower you to live worthy of all that he has invited you to experience. And we pray that by his power all the pleasures of goodness and all works inspired by faith would fill you completely. By doing this the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you will be glorified in him, by the marvelous grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

OBSERVATION: When God calls you to be His child, diligently pursue what it means to be adopted by God. When God calls you to preach, or teach, or pray, or visit the sick, or evangelize your city, be diligent in seeking how you can give God your very best and accomplish all that He has asked you to do. In the preceding verses, Paul had just explained what it will look like for the saved, and the unsaved, when Jesus returns. Although not pretty for the unsaved, Paul wanted the church to know that he was constantly praying for them. What will you do in preparation for Christ’s return?

APPLICATION: Many believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is and for what He can do for them. But there comes a time when each of us must decide who it is that we will follow and allow to be our master. The way this works is that when you become of age and able to understand the dangers of this world and its leader – Satan, and you do nothing about accepting a different, better, more loving, more moral, godlier leader, then you have accepted the fate of the evil one. God created us, and He wants the very best for His dear children, but He is quite the gentleman and therefore allows us to make our own life decisions. However, God made us smart enough to understand the consequences of our decisions. That’s why, in the preceding verses God permitted Paul to show no pity on those who know differently but decide to sin anyway. Today, mankind is no different to the ones Paul referred to in our Scripture today, other than we should not only learn from the words expressed in God’s Book, but also from the millions of saints and sinners who have gone on before us. Paul knew the temptations that saints would face while here on earth among wolves – Satan and his demons, so he vowed to always keep his church in his prayers. If one is saved and they struggle to see the difference in their lives, they may struggle with that, so Paul vowed to pray that God would empower each one to live worthy of all that God has called us to experience. As I meditated on that, I could only imagine that many of us take our decision to follow Christ way too lightly. We accept Jesus, because we felt His tug on the door of our heart; because we know that He loves us more than anyone has, or ever can love us; because we have heard, possibly seen, and actually experienced God’s healing in the life of others in need, and we want to experience the power of such an awesome God. But then what? Do we just continue life as before, knowing that we have an awesome power in reserve somewhere? I hope not, for there are millions out there who need that same Savior in their lives. When God saves us, He gives us a special gift. We don’t hide any other gifts in the sand so we could have it later in life, we put it to good use. The gift of salvation, and the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of us, were meant to help us live like Jesus. You see, we may have heard of Jesus through going to church over years of church attendance and out of tradition. But many don’t go to church, so how will they hear about Jesus? Paul tells the church in our Scripture today, that he is praying that we would live our lives worthy of the calling to which God has called us. I believe that some have been called to serve in our churches in a fulltime profession. But I don’t believe they were called to do church for us. God wants us to let the world know who Jesus is to us – by the way we live. I believe that Paul discerned the need to pray for us in this respect, because if we feel it is ok to one day join with the guys at the local bar and drink ourselves into a drunken stupor, or cut up with the girls, all while our wife is at home caring for our children, then on the following day try to witness to a coworker about the love of Jesus, what type of witness did we display for them on who Jesus is? You see, others won’t just look at a given moment in life to discern from us who Jesus is, but they will look at our lives during the good times and in the challenging times; under stress and in total calm; on Sunday and on Monday. Will they see enough good evidence to truly know who Jesus is? If so, then I encourage you to join with Paul in praying for our church and its members, because I could guarantee you that not everyone can do as good as you! As a closing thought, please allow me to encourage you to stand firm in your faith and do the work you feel God has called you to do. If it’s cleaning the church, do it as unto the Lord. If it’s teaching Bible School, do it after complete study and making sure that you have applied the teaching to your life before trying to convince others of the need to apply it. Do let others see Jesus in you – your words, actions, lifestyle, consistency and in your obedience to God. Don’t waiver from the truth of God’s Word, just do life like Jesus did, and in obedience to all that He taught us to do, God being your helper.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: May the name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in you, and you be glorified in Him, by the marvelous grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ!

PRAYER: ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on’. I love that old hymn because it reminds me of how dependent I am on You oh Lord. It’s only through Your power and Your strength that I could possibly be an example of You to others. But Lord, there are so many who need You in their lives. Give each reader, listener and Christian an extra portion of grace to be all that You have called them to be. Although many will refuse to pick up their Bibles, or to attend a Bible-teaching church, I pray that they will see enough of Jesus in us to desire a relationship with You. Use us Lord for Your kingdom, and for Your glory. AMEN!

The Impact When The Bible is Taught

On 2023-03-132023-03-13 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Impacted by the Word, Lives Impacted, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Monday, 2023-03-13
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 17:7-11
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah…. ⁸He sent Levites along with them, ….. He also sent out the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people. ¹⁰Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat. ¹¹Some of the Philistines brought him gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.

OBSERVATION: The Bible shows us how lives were impacted when the Book of the Law of God, the Bible, was taught. Current day history must include the impact when well recognized evangelists traveled the world and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ – as the Bible was taught. Churches today are still impacted when the Bible is taught, and the unsaved of our families and communities hear it and accept it. Perhaps we can take a few moments and allow the Word to speak into our lives, open our eyes, and show us the truth of God’s Word and how It can be applied to our lives today.

APPLICATION: In the days that the Bible was written, things were really tough – financially and morally. Yet we see God actively at work among His people in spite of those very tough times. So, what’s different now? Things are still very tough for many financially, and our country has probably never been so bankrupt morally. I find it very interesting in both the chapter we are reviewing today, and again over in 2 Chronicles 34, – king Jehoshaphat in chapter 17 and king Josiah in chapter 34 recognized that there was tremendous power in teaching the Law of God. Many responded, and surrounding nations who heard about the revival taking place, grew in fear of the Lord God. Why, some of their allies even brought gifts to the king in appreciation of the God that he had shown them through the Book. However, in considering where we differ today, it would appear that our leaders must be reading a different kind of book, for they seem to be more concerned about padding their own pockets than they are about the souls of their countrymen. Churches seem challenged to attract worshippers, and consequently challenged to find workers willing to sacrifice their time and effort to afford church leaders the opportunity to reach out to the unsaved in our communities. But you know, I believe that church leaders would be encouraged if they really caught hold of the impact that these two kings witnessed when they made reading the Book of the Law of the Lord, or The Book of the Covenant, or the Holy Bible to their people. Imagine the next time that church leaders were looking for Sunday School teachers, if they shared the excitement evident in response to these kings and their simple teaching from the Book that we still revere today? I’m afraid that we may approach folk with the depressing thought that the class may be suspended if you don’t soon find a teacher for it, or if you downplay the power of God to work through the teaching of His Word. In Hebrews 4:12 the Word declares that it is sharper than any two-edged sword, for it can cut to the root of man’s sins and his evil lifestyle. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 the Word declares that it is useful for teaching and points out to us when we are not living according to God’s design. Friends, this Book that David and his ancestors chose to read to convict their people of sin, is still the Book we use today. It was effective then, and it’s still effective today. May we allow it to do the work of Almighty God, instead of the constant badgering of our law makers for whom we are commanded to pray. We cannot continue to use the platform intended for promoting the Word of God to His people, to challenge and demote every decision that our lawmakers put in place. Our power rests in the name of the Lord, and in the freedom to vote out those whom we feel make bad decisions on our behalf, or against the teachings of the Almighty God. May God be our helper in all areas of life, especially in promoting His Gospel to an unsaved world.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Reading the Word of God brings results that only God can perform. Let the church work at making sure everyone hears the Word of God for correction and reproof.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please continue to teach us the importance of making Your Word a priority in the work of Your church, for from it we will see men convinced of their sin and saved from the terrors of Hell. Please Lord, impress upon everyone in Your service to keep the main source of ministry, as the main thing in reaching lost ones. I am so disappointed at how we use Your platform to put down politicians and the choices they make. Even if those mistakes are in opposition to Your teaching, that will still not save the lost who walked through our church doors. It is simply, and only through the blood of Jesus that man’s sin can be washed away. We don’t have a point to prove in Christianity to prove politicians in being right or wrong in their decisions, we have a Savior who loves us and who died to see us surrender our lives to Him. Then, because of the One who lives and reigns in us, we can follow the protocol of our respective countries in voting out bad politicians and voting in ones committed to serving our country in in line with Your teachings and Your will for mankind. Lord, let the church be the church. Teach Your Word and convict the lost of their sin. Politicians may follow suit if they see that we can do our part. instead of meddling in their work. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: God