A Blameless Life

On 2022-08-042022-08-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-08-04
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 101:1-2
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹I will sing of your love and justice, Lord. I will praise you with songs. ²I will be careful to live a blameless life – when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

APPLICATION: As I read the Psalm this morning, God directed my attention to, what I believe to be, several important things that He wanted me to derive, apply to my life, and sets my sights on, for His glory. I pray that as I share my insight from God, you will also be looking for what God has to say to you today:
-*- Lift up the name of Jesus above everything else and all other circumstances (vs 1) – We already know that God loves us, and because of that love, He desires to see us succeed in everything He assigns to us. So, we should willingly lift up the name of Jesus before we approach Him with our petitions, AND after we receive our marching orders, or our instructions;
-*- Live a blameless life (vs 2) – I believe this is a life so filled with obedience, and imitating the life exampled before us by Jesus, that no one – not even Jesus, would see the need to correct us or call us hypocritical. Can we achieve this on our own? No, for the forces of evil become stronger around us when we seek to follow our Lord. Therefore, we must do like the Psalmist did in vs 2, plead with God to help us be the man/woman that He desires to work miraculously through;
-*- Start in your home (vs 2)- We should remember that Jesus found that He was not accepted in His own hometown. We too might find this as our greatest challenge. The reason for this is that we could easily fool those on the outside, but our family sees the good, bad, and indifferent about us through various phases of our life and/or circumstances that challenge us. Let’s strive for perfection in Jesus’ name among our close family first. As we succeed in our homes, our family will be more apt to support our efforts in the world;
-*- Avoid those things that tend to trip us up (vs 3-5) – David listed some things that really affected him and caused lingering effects, and I bet you and I could probably add a number of things to David’s list. Perhaps we too should decide in ourselves that we WILL refuse to go certain places, see certain things, hear persistent filthy and negative things, etc, etc. David used great suggestive words that would help us in our determination – refuse, hate, reject, not tolerate.
Let’s be determined in our heart to live a blameless life. I am convinced that when we decide to turn things around in our life for the good of the kingdom, the Holy Spirit will kick into high gear in helping us, strengthening our determination, all to help us live up to our desire to be more like Jesus. In using the theme of Romans 12:18, determine in yourself that ‘In as much as it depends on me, each day I will live a blameless life for Christ, God being my helper’!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Although impossible through our own power, the Holy Spirit can help us live a blameless life – one that is approved and pleasing to our Master!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank You for miraculously touching my life and drawing me unto Yourself. My readers and listeners are fighting the evil one on every side as he strives to pull Your children away from the righteous life You have demonstrated before us. Please embolden us to stand firm in our faith and determined in our heart to live our lives like we discern from Your teachings and Your example while here on earth. Please allow our lives to be affirmation to our unsaved loved ones, that greater is He that in in us, than he that is in the world. Use us for Your glory oh Lord! 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!

Work At ‘Peace’ and ‘Holiness’

On 2021-10-042021-10-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Getting Along, Holiness, Love, Obedience, PeaceLeave a comment

Saturday, 2021-10-04

Bible Reference: Hebrews 12:14
Translation: The New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: ¹⁴ Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

APPLICATION: I saw a greeting card that read “Short on words, but loooong on best wishes!” I found this verse to be short on words, but packed with a powerful message for us today! God’s inspired Word is warning us that living at peace with everyone and living a holy life before our Lord, does not come easy or perhaps ‘natural’ to us, but are two things necessary for the follower of Christ. Our natural tendency is to sin, therefore it is challenging for anyone to get along with us, or for us to accept everyone the way they are, to love them, and live at peace with them. In this chapter of Hebrews we are being taught to listen to God. We have been shown in this New Testament book that our ancestors accomplished a lot in faith, believing in, and depending on, the power of God. We are therefore challenged to call on, listen to, and depend on God to help us accomplish everything that He has commanded of us. In this particular command, I would dare say that God has proven Himself powerful, and able, over and over. He proved His love for us in ways that we would never have to, for He sacrificed His life for us, while the world hated Him, mocked Him, spat on Him and crucified Him. So I believe you will agree that He definitely knows all about how challenging it will be for us to ‘love’ someone who despises us, or may even hate us. So friends, when we are commanded to ‘Work at It’, be comforted in knowing that we don’t have to do this alone. For Jesus promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us – that means that He is always there for us. Therefore part of our working on these commands, must include humbling ourselves before the Master and seeking His help. Furthermore, I am convinced that my loving Jesus would never command something of us that would be impossible for He and us to achieve. We gladly work at being our best in our jobs, in our families, in our marriages and in our relationships. As an obedient servant, we must also ‘Work at’ being holy in our lifestyle so that the world will know to whom we belong. Also, we must determine in our own hearts to live at peace with each other as children of the ‘Prince of Peace’. We must ‘Work at It’ with all of our being and with the help of the King, Jesus our Lord.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our time here on earth is short, and we can therefore not afford to procrastinate on ‘Working At’ being all that You demand of us in Your Word. Holiness begets holiness, so if we are truly a son of the Holy God, then we are to represent that holiness in our everyday life. For one to meet a son, there should be good enough representation that they would tell the world that they have truly known the Father. Lord, may it be so in my life today, and may You fill the hearts and lives of all my readers and listeners that are willing to live obedient lives in conformity with Your will. Shine through us today Lord Jesus, so that our friends might see Jesus. For I ask these things in and through the precious name of Jesus, 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!

Be Different – HOLY

On 2021-05-192021-05-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holy, Holy Living, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-05-19
WRITTEN AT: Nassau, Bahamas

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 20:7-8; 24; 26
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷Dedicate yourselves to me and be holy because I am the Lord your God. ⁸I have chosen you as my people, and I expect you to obey my laws.
²⁴…. I have chosen you to be different from other people.
²⁶I am the Lord, the holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too.

APPLICATION: So what do you suppose would have happened if the Israelites went into the Promised Land without this warning from God? Don’t you think that the inhabitants would have been stirred into anger and seek unending revenge on them? So what happens when we step into our communities and in talking with friends when we tell them about our church life, and about us being a Christian, yet they continue to see us in our workplaces cheating our customers, stealing from the boss, and being very rude and obnoxious with our coworkers? Will they believe what we say, or what we do? Although being unbelievers, they would still discern our differences in character from the God they heard about. I know, you try to act as close to ‘normal’ in the eyes of your friends so that you won’t stand out, right? But what happened at your point of asking Jesus to be your Savior? Hopefully you didn’t tell Jesus that you would still have to follow your old convictions and act like your friends? My dear readers, there are multiple places in the Bible where we are told to ‘come out of the world and follow Jesus’. This means that you not only say with your mouth that you believe in God and accept Jesus as Lord, but that you have a desire to follow His commands and imitate His very character so that your life would now look like your new Master, and not burdened with the sin of this world and the desire to please mankind. Jesus said that because He rescued us from our sin, we are to be like Him – HOLY, just as He is holy. You cannot be like the world, and also like Christ. Those are complete opposites. God chose you to be His son/daughter, so He demands that we strive everyday to be just like Him – holy. If you say that there is no way you could be holy, you will be absolutely correct. It is only through the power of God, and the Holy Spirit that lives within you, that you could ever achieve holiness. For the reader who belongs to Jesus, then this will act as a reminder of what God always expects from you. For the unbeliever who has been touched by the spirit of God to surrender your life to His lordship, I am hoping that this devotional may have given you one more reason to make this important change in your life. My friend, know Jesus today and know the peace that passeth all understanding. It is only through this peace and redirection in your life, that you can ask the Master to give you wisdom and everlasting strength to live in total obedience to Him and to be holy like He expects. If you would like to know my Lord, please: see a local pastor and ask for help; or respond to me using the link in my Footnote; or simply read the Scriptures mentioned in my link ‘To Know Jesus’ included in my Footnote.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Holiness is achievable in this life, if we place our faith and trust in the lord Jesus and allow Him to guide us into holiness – just as He is holy.

PRAYER: From a world’s perspective, being holy is totally unattainable. But I thank You Lord for the gift You left with us – the Holy Spirit. I know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, You know how challenging we have it here in this wicked world around those who want nothing to do with You. Please Lord, enrich us with a deep desire to allow Your Holy Spirit to work through us in every aspect of our lives, so that we may be holy, just as You are holy. In turn, may the world see You very prevalent in us, causing them to desire a close and intimate walk with You. Have Your way in us Lord, so that You may be glorified on earth as You are in Heaven. AMEN!

Do You Hear Me Now?

On 2021-04-012021-04-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Hears Us, Needs, Praise, Prayer, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-04-01
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 22:1-3
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹My God, my God, why have You turned Your back on me?
    Your ears are deaf to my groans.
²O my God, I cry all day and You are silent;
    my tears in the night bring no relief.
³Still, You are holy;
    You make Your home on the praises of Israel.

OBSERVATION: A mom or dad might respond to the pleas of an unruly child ‘don’t even talk to me right now’ and the child will know exactly that there is something that made mom/dad upset. I don’t know that God was upset with David why He made him feel that his prayers were falling on deaf ears, but often there are very good reasons why God may not immediately answer our prayers in the manner we are demanding. Let’s use this scripture as a reminder of the God who hears our every prayer!

APPLICATION: Hopefully not many of you will pick up your cellphones and shout the theme that I chose for today into your phone, like the advertiser did in their commercial! But doesn’t it remind you of that, especially at those times that you are hurting or in desperate need? Don’t you feel like shouting ‘is anybody out there’? Perhaps if we do a better job of thanking God for answers to all challenges, even smaller ones, and not overlook talking to God about the simple things of life, we might develop a sense of confidence in the God who can do ALL things, including bringing the dead back to life as He did with Lazarus. Friends, when we develop an intimate relationship with God, we will know what it means when it seems like He’s not listening and when it seems like He is not hearing or answering our prayers. We must also be very careful to remind ourselves that we are praying to God – the One who knows ALL things and will do only what He knows best for His beloved children. My point is that we don’t want to interfere with God’s plan by trying to tell Him how to correct our issue. There is no doubt that His ways far exceed anything that we might think or ask for, so simply lay your burden at His feet; share with Him how much you are hurting; and also share with Him how you wish for the best in your circumstances, even though you are more than happy to receive what He knows is best. Remember, you’ve built a relationship with your Creator and you know that He has your best interest at heart, so don’t be afraid to share your feelings, even though you want to always accept His perfect will for you. Often, these times of quiet by God is because of sin that you have allowed into your life, or because He wants you to draw closer to Him, or at even other times He is simply wanting to see you dig into His Word and be drawn to a closer walk with Him. God’s ways are always perfect, for He knows the plan that He has for us. Our ways are often diluted with sin and the evil of this earth, so when we pray, let’s remember to draw close to God first. This will help us to not only give in to His will, but it will give us opportunity to align our hearts with His, so that we may be less lightly to ask awry. A sure lesson for us to learn is found in verse 3, for in spite of David’s frustration in the first two verses, yet he acknowledged that God is almighty and all-powerful and deserves the praise of His people. This teaches me that I have no reason to be upset with God, for He deserves my praise – period! It’s me oh God, standing in the need of prayer. Please help my readers and I to concentrate on the awesome God of this universe, and refrain from trying to blame You when our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears and have not been responded to as we may have humanly and erroneously asked for.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for Your unending patience with me. Thankfully, You created me and You know my weaknesses, just as You did with Your servant David. Please forgive me when I lower my expectations of You to a level where it seems that You need my help. You are God, and I am not. May I always remember to respect You for the awesome God that You are. Of course You hear my prayer, please help me to be patient and wait for You to do just that. May each reader be drawn closer to You today, is my humble prayer as we all depend on You in prayer. AMEN!

Preparing To Meet

On 2020-03-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Meet God, Preparation, PreparedLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-03-13
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 30:18–19
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: ^18-19Many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not prepared themselves in the right way for the Passover Festival. They did not celebrate the Passover the right way, as the Law of Moses says. But Hezekiah prayed for the people. So he said this prayer, “Lord God, you are good. These people sincerely wanted to worship you in the right way, but they did not make themselves clean as the law says. Please forgive these people. You are the Lord, the God our ancestors worshiped. Forgive them, even if some did not make themselves clean as the rules of the Most Holy Place say.”

OBSERVATION: Anytime we prepare ourselves for meeting with a famous person, we go to great extremes to ‘clean ourselves up’ – going to the hair dresser; purchasing the right apparel for the occasion, etc. Yet, just like the tribes that Hezekiah prayed for, we too go to prayer meetings and church services, perhaps less prepared inwardly and outwardly, than if we were going to the movies. As we meditate on this Scripture today, let’s do so while keeping in mind that we are about to meet with the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

APPLICATION: Ever heard a parent say to their child ‘well if you’re going to the fair with me looking mad and upset, then we may as well stay at home, because you couldn’t possibly have a good time with that attitude’? But don’t we sometimes go to church with a similar attitude? Imagine for a moment if, 30 minutes prior to leaving the house, we were to go before God and lay ourselves before Him and seek His face and ask His forgiveness of our sin, our littleness and our selfishness. Additionally ask God to bless us individually and expand our personal borders so that we might touch the lives of others. Can you possibly dream, or imagine, what our prayer meetings and church services would look like and sound like? Can you imagine the outlook on everyone’s face when they walk out of the sanctuary refreshed in their relationship with God and ready for a week of service in His kingdom work? Rushing to that favorite diner would be the last thing on our minds, instead of the only thing we tend to think on each week! Friend, we will never encounter free, unhindered, personal worship when we depend on the Praise Band to build the excitement and raise the entertainment level so that we may become involved in and excited about worshiping. We can’t build our excitement from what we feel in the band, our excitement builds from all that lies within. If we haven’t cleaned up the ‘junk’ in our lives, how can we possibly go before a ‘HOLY’ and ‘Righteous’ God and expect to be excited about it? Remember, He knows our every deed and thought. When we haven’t cleaned up those things, we go before Him with the same guilt that we would have if we went straight to church from a cocktail party hoping that no one will smell the alcohol on us! God said that we are to be holy, even as He is holy. Why not join me in doing our best to make sure that we go in a prepared way to meet with Him and worship Him this weekend? He would be overjoyed, and we would be blessed beyond measure.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, how ashamed we should be about the important things that we take for granted. We will make time for every meeting we plan to attend or participate in, but somehow we feel like You will show up no matter how little we do in preparation. Forgive us Lord, and help us to really focus on our time with You, for You created us in Your own image and You love us beyond anything we could imagine. Hezekiah prayed for his people who had not prepared themselves to meet with You, may this be a reminder for us that You are holy and therefore we should approach Your throne in a spirit of holiness. This is contrary to the atmosphere in which we live daily and only You could cleanse us and make us worthy of being in Your presence. Lord we beg Your powerful work in our lives, so that we may be effective in all that we do in Your holy name. Amen!

Lord You Are …..

On 2019-11-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Holiness, Holy, Influence, Relationship, SalvationLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-11-27

Bible Reference: Psalm 18:25-30
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: ²⁵Lord, it is clear to me now that how we live will dictate how you deal with us.^[j]
Good people will taste your goodness, Lord. And to those who are loyal to you, you love to prove that you are loyal and true.
²⁶And for those who are purified, they find you always pure. But you’ll outwit the crooked and cunning with your craftiness.
²⁷To the humble you bring heaven’s deliverance. But the proud and haughty you disregard.

OBSERVATION: In this translation, the writer has taken the liberty of summarizing what David felt about God’s response to our actions, as detailed in the verses that follow. As we meditate on the Word today, I thought it might be sobering for us to ponder, like David, what God must truly feel when we act in various ways in response to life’s circumstances. I’m afraid that we never give this a second thought because we may feel like God ignores our failures and our stupid actions at times. Please consider reading the whole chapter to fully understand where David was coming from with his thoughts in these verses.

APPLICATION: David had just gone through many verses praising God for His goodness and His care and protection. Based on his first-hand experience, David is now trying to help those of us who are struggling to comprehend exactly what we can expect from God, and why our experiences may differ, based on our relationship with God. In fact, let me challenge us with a sobering thought – based on our current relationship with God at the very moment you read these words, what aspect(s) of your life do you suppose God would challenge you on, if you were standing before Him? Note that this will apply to everyone – the Christian and the unbeliever. I believe that Christians may often get the false impression that their ticket to heaven is bought the day they say ‘Yes’ to Jesus, and they are just waiting on the flight. May I suggest to you, Christian Brother/Sister, that you never went to the altar to purchase a ticket, you went to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and accept you into His family. You promised Him to leave the ugliness (sin) of this world behind and show love towards Him in every way possible, especially towards one another. Think about this, some may have stubbed a toe at one time or another. Thankfully it was not necessary for you to go to the hospital, so you returned to the acts that gave you the stubbed toe. This analogy shows how we treat sin, and wind up damaging our relationship with Jesus. Friends, can you possibly expect to receive anything from Jesus when you turn your back on Him? He has given us the freedom of choice, but read this chapter to be reminded of your consequences when you disobey. You don’t like it when your earthly child disobeys you, why do you suppose that it will be any different for the Savior who gave His life for your forgiveness of sin, when He sees you disobeying His commands? To the unbeliever: I am convinced that you are well aware of the Jesus to whom I have devoted this entire blog, because many of you will quickly look for Him, or someone who knows Him personally, and is willing to intercede for you, when something goes wrong in your life, or when things may not be going right for you. With all the love I can muster up today, I must tell you that our God is not a God of convenience, He is looking for a relationship with you. Just as you can’t purchase home insurance if a hurricane is already in route, God is looking for a relationship with you before you approach Him with your grocery list of needs. My Father takes care of His children, even if our earthly fathers may fail in this. Will He recognize you as His child when you call upon Him? I used today’s blog title based on a prayer conference I attended, where we were encouraged to use scripture in our prayer life. May I encourage you to complete the following sentence based on today’s scripture? “Lord, You are my __________ because _________, praise be to God”!

PRAYER: Lord you are loving because You saw my need for a Savior and sent angels to convict me of my sin and lead me to a wonderful, life-long relationship with You, praise be to God! Thank You Jesus for loving even me! Thank You dear Jesus for loving each one who reads this devotional today. I am convinced that You are standing with opened arms right now waiting to respond to our prayer, especially those praying for salvation. Lord You are worthy and we are so needy. We need You every minute of every day, and we long to draw closer to You each and every day. Please patiently lead us towards a more intimate and sincere relationship with You, so that we may have a godly impact on all that we come into contact with. I ask these things in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Work At It Follower of Christ

On 2019-10-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Getting Along, Holiness, Love, Obedience, PeaceLeave a comment

Saturday, 2019-10-05

Bible Reference: Hebrews 12:14
Translation: The New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: ¹⁴ Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

OBSERVATION: For someone that seems very comfortable, patient and just a natural when doing certain things, we may say that they are a perfect fit. However, God acknowledged in our Scripture verse today that we need to work at living in peace with those around us, and in living a holy life. Lots to meditate on in this very short verse today, so ask God to open your mind and melt your heart to the truth of His Word.

APPLICATION: I saw a greeting card yesterday that read “Short on words, but loooong on best wishes!” I found this verse to be short on words, but packed with a powerful message for us today. God’s inspired Word is warning us that living at peace with everyone and living a holy life before our Lord, does not come easy or perhaps natural to us, but are two things necessary for the follower of Christ. Our natural tendency is to sin, therefore it is challenging for anyone to get along with us, or for us to accept everyone the way they are, to love them and live at peace with them. However in this chapter of Hebrews we are being taught to listen to God. We have been shown in this New Testament book that our ancestors accomplished a lot in faith, believing in, and depending on, the power of God. We are therefore challenged to call on, listen to, and depend on God to help us accomplish everything that He has commanded of us. In this particular command, I would dare say that God has proven Himself powerful, and able, over and over. He proved His love for us in ways that we would never have to, for He sacrificed His life for us, while the world hated Him, mocked Him, spat on Him and crucified Him. So I believe you will agree that He definitely knows all about how challenging it will be for us to ‘love’ someone who despises us, or may even hate us. So friends, when we are commanded to ‘Work at It’, be comforted in knowing that we don’t have to do this alone. For Jesus promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us – that means that He is always there for us. Therefore part of our working on these commands, must include humbling ourselves before the Master and seeking His help. Furthermore, I am convinced that my loving Jesus would never command something of us that would be impossible for He and us to achieve. We gladly work at being our best in our jobs, in our families, in our marriages and in our relationships. As an obedient servant, we must also ‘Work at’ being holy in our lifestyle so that the world will know to whom we belong. Also, we must determine in our own hearts to live at peace with each other as children of the ‘Prince of Peace’. We must ‘Work at It’ with all of our being and with the help of the King, Jesus our Lord.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our time here on earth is short, and we can therefore not afford to procrastinate on ‘Working At’ being all that You demand of us in Your Word. Holiness begets holiness, so if we are truly a son of the Holy God, then we are to represent that holiness in our everyday life. For one to meet a son, there should be good enough representation that they would tell the world that they have truly know the Father. Lord, may it be so in my life today, and may You fill the hearts and lives of all my readers that are willing to live obedient lives in conformity with Your will. Shine through us today Lord Jesus, so that our friends might see Jesus. For I ask these things in and through the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

Cleansed and Ready to Worship

On 2019-10-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, Cleanse me Oh God, Cleansing, Clear Conscience, Forgiven, Righteous, WorshipLeave a comment

Friday, 2019-10-04

Bible Reference: Hebrews 9:13-14
Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a cow were sprinkled on those who were no longer pure enough to enter the place of worship. The blood and ashes made them pure again—but only their bodies. ¹⁴ So surely the blood sacrifice of Christ can do much more. Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make us completely clean from the evil we have done. It will give us clear consciences so that we can worship the living God.

OBSERVATION: Too often we ‘attend’ a church service and then we tell everyone that we had been to ‘worship’. Really? Did you visit a place where others were worshiping, or did you really go there and worship with them? Try reading the Scripture for today and honestly evaluate if you were pure, or completely cleansed, from the evil and sin in your life, in order to stand in the presence of our holy God and ‘worship’ Him. According to our Scripture, it is only then that our consciences would be cleared so that we could honesty ‘worship’ the Master of this universe – our God.

APPLICATION: I believe that every Bible Teacher or Pastor’s wish would be, that their hearers are getting as much from a lesson as they received when they studied the lesson being taught. I also believe that every Worship Pastor would love to know that the folk they are leading in a time of worship were participating from the deepest parts of their heart and receiving a blessing like they receive when leading us. Often we will go to our corporate worship services and while sometimes being totally blessed and pulled into the worship time through full participation, yet at other times we just attend but don’t feel a closeness to our Lord as we worship. These are the times we find fault with the person next to us or behind us, or with the worship leader, or perhaps the volume of the instrumentalists! But friend, if you especially read verse 14, you will notice that as long as we enter God’s house with stained consciences, there just may not be an opportunity for you to connect with God and His Holy Spirit that day in worship. You might remember from God’s Word that God will not be present where sin abounds. I believe that another way of understanding verse 14 might be in the following way: “One cannot worship the Living God without a clear conscience” or “Unless one has already settled with God concerning their sin, they cannot come face-to-face with God in a sacrifice of praise, or worship”. There’s a worship song that has been around for a long time “There’s A Sweet, Sweet Spirit in this Place“. After reading verse 14, I’m not so sure that we could experience that ‘Sweet Spirit’ and sincerely worship our Lord. Perhaps we should have a confession service first, then, perhaps, the Spirit of God might find clean hearts and consciences in which He is free to move and to bless. Let’s keep this in mind the next time that we go out of our way to ‘worship God’. Clean hearts will draw close to God, as it is the only way that He will draw close to you and I.

PRAYER: How dare us attempt to enter Your presence in sin, Oh God, especially thinking that we can block/hide the hindrances (our sin) while we attempt to worship You. It’s not enough for us to conjure up a time of ‘worship’ Lord Jesus, for we want to be where You are, and we want to worship You in sincerity of heart, soul and mind. Please forgive us for attempting to worship You, the One who never sinned, while we are yet burdened with sin in our hearts. Please cleanse me of all unrighteousness, so that as I might approach Your throne with a clear conscience and without sin. Please touch the hearts of my readers Lord, so that they too might be enlightened of any sin that not only separates them from You, but also blocks their true worship of You. Lord, may You rule and reign in every aspect of our lives and especially prepare us for frequent times of worship to You. I love you Lord, and I lift my voice and heart in worship to You alone. My prayer is offered in and through the precious name of Jesus, the only one is holy and worthy of our worship and praise, AMEN!

Holiness – Because God is Holy

On 2017-05-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Representative, Holy, Holy Living, Representation of the Master, Representative of ChristLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-05-03
SCRIPTURE
From:	Leviticus 19:1-2 (CEV)
Text:	¹The Lord told Moses ²to say to the community of Israel:I am the Lord your God. I am holy, and you must be holy too!
OBSERVATION:
God had shared with the Israelites that they were His chosen people. He showed this in the way that He brought them out of slavery in Egypt and into a land filled with milk and honey – the Promised Land. He disciplined them when they did things contrary to His commands. However God also took care of their needs and loved on them in many different ways. Now, God wanted to see them go off into the Promised Land in a manner that might show respect, honor and praise to the One who brought them to this point. This is very much in line with what God expects from us today!
APPLICATION:
If I was a carpenter, I would teach my son a trade – and guess what that trade might be? In teaching that son what might best align him with the teachings of my Lord, I would steer him towards a humble, but yet glorifying life dedicated to Jesus Christ. My greatest lessons would be through my actions and not just through my words. I would be careful in not demanding that he lives in a manner that I have never been able to accomplish. Moses went on in the rest of chapter 19 to teach the Israelites some of the ways through which God might be glorified in their lives. I believe that it is super important that we grasp hold of this teaching friends, for God not only says in John 3:16 that whosoever believes in the Son of God will become children of God, but there are many other verses in the Bible that teach the same principles taught in this chapter. The God in whom we place our faith and our trust is a Holy God. To say that we believe in Him, or that we are His followers, or that we are Christian, and then continue to live like the world, is a huge conflict and contradiction of our beliefs. We then become hypocrites of God and distract the witness for Christ. That’s totally opposite to what we are called to be, for in us the world should see enough of Christ that they would desire to know our source of truth and help – Jesus Christ, in a very personal and meaningful way. So friends, what are others seeing in you even when you don’t have an opportunity to witness to them verbally? I pray that Jesus is so prominent in your life that the whole world will know the driving force behind all that you do and all that you are. I pray that Jesus Christ might be glorified daily because of your actions and your witness for Him! To God be all the glory!
PRAYER:
Great is thy faithfulness Lord, to even me! Thank You for the opportunity to be called a child of the King of all kings – Jesus Christ. Lord may Your saints be so appreciative of this attachment to You, that Your character will be displayed through us in everything that we do, so that You might be glorified in all things. Have Your will and way in us today oh Lord – our Rock; our Redeemer; our Savior and our soon coming King, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

God Wants Us To Be Holy

On 2017-03-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Discipline, Disciplined, Forgiveness, Holiness, Holy, Leadership of the Holy Spirit, Love, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-03-08
SCRIPTURE
From:	Hebrews 12:8-11 (CEV)
Text:	⁸God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to him. ⁹Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn’t it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us? ¹⁰Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. ¹¹It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.
OBSERVATION:
Our Scripture today confirms the love of God for His children, and confirms that it’s because of that deep love for us that God disciplines us. However, when we understand the purpose for that discipline then we appreciate the discipline.
APPLICATION:
Some may struggle with the idea of God disciplining His children because we have always been taught that He loves us enough to die for us. In parenting, or adult life overall, I believe we all can agree that where there is no discipline, there is good indication of a disconnect between the adult and the child. Either the child doesn’t belong to the adult on the scene and therefore a lack of duty, or love, or responsibility to correct the child, or a lack of love and concern for the upbringing of that child. I want you to stop and think about yourself as a parent, or if you’re not a parent then think about your parents, and consider all the reasons why a child is probably loved by their earthly parents. Next, I want you to think of the God who created us, then recognized that we are selfish and would never follow rules, commands and rituals in order to right ourselves with Him because of our sins. So in order to help us out, God sent His one and only Son to die a cruel death through crucifixion to prove His love for us. Now, for a God like that, don’t you know that He would very much desire that we be steered into oneness with Himself? Steering us is the same as disciplining us. When we are reminded of wrong things through reading God’s Word, or hearing a message from God via our pastor or Godly teacher, we are being steered away from that wrong. Likewise when we can honestly say ‘amen’ to a sermon or Bible reading, it probably means that we agree, and that we are honestly following that command of God. Now here are the words that I really loved from our Scripture today, because God said that the reason He steers us, or disciplines us, is not just because He loves us, but because “He wants us to be holy, as He is”! I don’t know about you friend, but that sends chills up and down my spine, to think that the God of this universe loves me enough that He will do whatever it takes to get us in line with His commands so that we may be holy, just as He is! Wow!
PRAYER:
It is so hard for us to believe that we could ever be considered ‘Holy’, much less to be consider ‘holy’ as God Himself. Yet God said it, so I believe it. Thank You for never giving up on us Jesus! Thank You for loving us so much – more than we could ever comprehend. Please forgive us for being so stubborn, disobedient, and straying so often from the path You have set for us. Lord I can only imagine that this is a daily chore for You to deal with, so I beg You to touch Your children once again today. We want to be like You, and we want to be ‘holy’ in Your eyes. Please steer us aright again today as we face the trials and temptations of this day. Thank You heavenly Father for loving us so deeply and unconditionally! AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Holy