Tag: Honor

Standing in the Way of Blessing?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Honor, Needs, Obedience, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

Monday, 2019-08-12

Bible Reference: Joshua 7:10-12
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

Bible Text: 10 Get up. What are you doing in the dirt? 11 There’s a simple explanation: Israel has sinned. They have lied and have violated the covenant I gave them by stealing some of the property that should have been destroyed along with the rest of Jericho and by hiding it among their own belongings.
12 That is why the Israelites can no longer resist their enemies. They run from their foes because they are under a curse and doomed to destruction. I will not be with you or fight for you unless these things devoted to destruction are truly destroyed.

OBSERVATION: The Israelites had the task of taking over town after town, that existed on all the land given to them by God, and they had been very successful with Jericho. However, in their attempt with Ai, they encountered some loss of life. For God was not willing to go on blessing them while there was sin in their camp. Because of one man’s sin, others loss their lives, while thousands upon thousands suffered because of the withdrawal of God’s hand of blessing. I wonder, has God’s hand of blessing upon our families, our churches, our cities and our country been impacted because of the sin or one reading this devotional today?

APPLICATION: There seems to be increased tolerance by people and churches to accept almost any condition of society, so that we can fit into their view of what Christ’s church should look like. Fortunately for some countries, including my country, churches are not yet being forced by government to accept certain societal groups who may have beliefs that differ to our interpretation of the Bible’s standards and teachings. However, putting all this aside, I was keenly aware, and reminded, of the importance that God places on obeying Him and honoring His Word. In our story, one man decided that it was OK for him to withhold some of the loot from their raid of Jericho, which was in direct disobedience of God’s instructions. Because of this, God withdrew His power (His blessings) on their (the Israelites) next raid, as they tried to take over Ai. I believe the main takeaway for us in this passage today is that God will not bless sin. He will not bless where sin abides. He will not bless where people, or even a single person decides, apart from God, that it’s OK for them to do their own thing. Please know that this has nothing to do with creativity, for God created us to be creative and think for ourselves, however when He sets boundaries for us, and when He establishes rules and commandments for us, it’s for our own good, our own protection, and for His glory. I believe that God has designed us to be like Him, and I believe that He established guardrails to help us live, work, love, and act more like Him while here on this earth. Friends, if others never recognize Jesus in us, do you really feel like you are honestly being led/guided by Him and living according to His will and purpose? God will not tolerate sin, and since He is the same God who did not tolerate the sin of Achan (the man in our story), I have every reason to believe that He will withdraw His blessing on us when sin abides within. Will you intentionally deny the blessing of God on others because of your selfish desires and stubborn will? I pray that is not the case with any reading this devotional today.

PRAYER: Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the many blessings that You bestow on my family, my church, my city, my state and my country, please, please, please give me strength each day to faithfully honor You, for You alone are worthy of my honor, my obedience and my praise. Because of my son-ship, please help me to always desire and aim to live a sinless life because of a deep desire to please You. Please help me to never forget that in order to receive Your rich blessings poured out daily on myself and those I love and associate with, I must do my part in honoring You and my commitment to be Your follower. Oh that we may live like You today, is my deepest desire today oh Lord. AMEN!

Spontaneous Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Praise, Praise-worthy, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Psalm 86:11-12 (ERV)

TEXT:   11 Lord, teach me your ways, and I will live and obey your truths.
Help me make worshiping your name the most important thing in my life.
12 My Lord God, I praise you with all my heart. I will honor your name forever!

OBSERVATION:   David had a knack for speaking honestly to God. But one thing I observed is that if David started a Psalm in deepest concern and honestly sharing his upset mind, before the end of the Psalm he was praising God for who He truly is. I believe the emphasis in our Scripture today, is that David truly wanted to live and obey the truths of God, culminating into the most important thing of life – to worship God. To do this it seems like David realized that he should be saturated with the Word of God. Wow, what a desire!

APPLICATION:   I wonder how many of us make it a priority to seek God’s face before each worship service and ask Him to open our hearts and minds so that we may understand and absorb His teachings! And as He does, do we promise to obey and worship Him sincerely? In fact, we want our worship to God to become the highlight of our day and the most important thing that we do. Notice I didn’t say the highlight of our Saturday or Sunday, but of every day! Can’t you imagine friends, that if we were led by the Holy Spirit each day during our time with the Lord, and we took time to just praise the Almighty and worship the Creator and King of this universe, then imagine what a time of rejoicing that will be when we lock arms with several others at our weekend church services? Oh my, I don’t believe that the four walls of our sanctuary would contain us! But isn’t that how true worship truly works? If you don’t learn to worship God each day in response to His Word, or His presence, or His handiwork, or in return for all that He has done for us, then you honestly feel like at our corporate services you will respond to a pastor or worship leader simply saying ‘OK, let us stand and worship God’? Is that the way you acted when you saw your fiancee only on the weekends? Can’t you see why so many worship services are dry and dull and often meaningless to so many? Let’s be sure to remember that we arrive at weekend services, after enjoying a daily, living and meaningful relationship with the One who loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die on a cross, just so that we would know that we now have the means of getting to heaven, through the Son, Jesus Christ. David concluded these verses by saying that he would praise God from the bottom of his heart, and that he would honor Him eternally. I believe that we can honestly boast of the same, if only we did better on our daily relationship with this wonderful Savior of ours! Ask Him to help you attain this worthy goal, friend!

PRAYER:   To God be the glory, great things He has done! Lord we acknowledge that this is our daily cry of worship and praise, in response to all that You do for us daily. Please teach us Your Word, Your ways and Your will. Remind us of Your love for us and Your daily provisions that You provide for us, just like You do with the birds of teh air and the wild animals all over the world. As we worship You today Lord, may that effort be multiplied 10 times over on Sunday as we worship You with other believers who are also met to worship. You deserve our worship and our praise dear Lord. May we be obedient and bring our praises to You each and every day. 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 Sebring, 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!

 

What The Lord Hates

On By Ed AlgreenIn Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-05-06
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Proverbs 6:16-19 (ERV)

Text:

 16 The Lord hates these seven things:
17     eyes that show pride,
    tongues that tell lies,
    hands that kill innocent people,
18     hearts that plan evil things to do,
    feet that run to do evil,
19     witnesses in court who tell lies,
    and anyone who causes family members to fight.
OBSERVATION:
The Bible is very clear on what displeases God. We know that He hates sin, so I believe that we can conclude as we look at each item listed in our Scripture that they are either sinful acts, or a result of sinful acts. As in any relationship in which we love someone, we should endeavor to always avoid the things that God hates.
APPLICATION:
In the case of our parents, our spouse or even best friends, we would do our very best to always avoid doing those things that they hate, despise, or dislike. So having read that God hates to see certain things going on in our lives, what then shall we do about that? I know you can read the verses above, but let’s just break these things down and have a closer look:

  • Eyes that show pride – generally refers to the actions of one whose heart is filled with pride. With their eyes, they tend to look down on people, and think less of them than they do of themselves;
  • Tongues that tell lies – referring to the one who, as part of their normal speech, tells untruths to promote self, or deceive others;
  • Hands that kill innocent people – this is self explanatory;
  • Hearts that plan evil things to do – hearts filled with wicked imagination that often lead to actions that are evil;
  • Feet that run to do evil – From the content of the heart the mouth speaketh and the feet will be anxious to rush to scenes that will lead to evil doings. Notice how investigators often find criminals who escaped prison, they find them at scenes where evil, or criminal things occurred?
  • Witnesses in court who tell lies – a false witness is one that has no value for truth and justice and they will do anything to help like minded individuals escape due justice, including lying for them;
  • One who causes family members to fight – God created the family to be an example to the world of His relationship to his Son. He also created man and woman uniquely to bring mutual happiness to each other. Children born to that union demonstrates necessary leadership by the father and obedience by the child. This makes it easier and understandable when we are taught that we are to  obey our heavenly Father. Yet we see many cases of folk deliberately trying to destroy families and cause strife between family members. God hates this.

All of these things are understably hated by God. If we have a personal relationship with God, we will do everything within our power to love Him and please Him. Therefore, if He hates the above things, we are to avoid them at all cost. He can help us with that if we struggle to do it on our own.
PRAYER:
Lord, there is nothing we would like more than to please You in every aspect of our lives. Yet as we read this scripture, we are reminded that we sometimes fall into the trap of displeasing You. Please give us strength and wisdom to overcome our weaknesses. In return, please direct us towards pure hearts and minds that are so filled with Your goodness that we would strive to please You in everything we do and say. We want the world to see You in every aspect of our lives, and we know that this would be impossible without them seeing evidence of Your teachings in every fibre of our being. So we beg for Your filling today 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 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!

What Belongs To God?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Giving, ReflectionLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-03-11
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Matthew 22:17-21 (MSG)

Text:

 So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”18-19 Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.” They handed him a silver piece.

20 “This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?”

21 They said, “Caesar.”

“Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.”
OBSERVATION:
Jesus immediately saw through the questioning that the Pharisees/Herodians were trying to entrap Him with, and follow through with a reason to arrest Him. However in Jesus’ response to their questioning He actually gave them something to ponder about themselves. In fact, this continues to challenge believers today, so let’s explore this in our application…
APPLICATION:
A previous pastor once told his flock that after praying earnestly for a car, his dad gave him a new one when he headed off to seminary. Of course, this became the envy of those he befriended, so they tried to entrap him by asking to borrow the car. To their surprise, he whipped out the keys, but as he handed them to his friend, he said “here you go, but this car belongs to Jesus, treat it that way”. Some may find this amusing, but friend, I want you to consider the question from Jesus, and my little story, and I really want you to stop and consider all that you can attribute to a direct gift from Jesus, or in response to prayer to Him. Let me share a few of mine to help stir your memory, or thought process: God gave me qualities to work in the financial sector, and some 45 years ago I started that career, should I whine and complain when I go to work each day, or should I praise God once again for blessing me for over 45 years of preparing and/or working in this field? Next, my wife and I were prompted to apply for entry into the US some 30 years ago, and we were quickly approved. This was much to the dismay and disappointment of my aging parents. However, we saw many things that God had stored up for us after our move: Within one year this paved the way for doctors to save the life of my dad; Shortly afterwards the life of another relative was saved; then we had a lifelong dream come true as we added a child to our family. Friends, I could go on, but suffice to say that because we allowed Jesus to lead, He showed us how awesome He truly could be to His children. This is true in many of your lives also, for who brings that beautiful sun up each day? Who allows you to have a job and another may still be struggling to find one at the moment? Who allows you to be up and moving around when another just like you, is bedridden with so some serious health issue? Who keeps you safe on the roads each day while you pass wrecks along the way? So as you evaluate these thoughts today, the question becomes: what do you do in response to all God has given, and continues to give, to you? He showed His redeeming love for you when He died on a cruel cross at Calvary, and He continues to love you as He blesses in unlimited ways that you may have thought of after reading this blog. What do you give to Him in return? How much of your time each week do you give to the Lord? How about your finances resulting from the job He directed you to and blesses you with each day? May I suggest a God-honoring, proven method on this topic? Try this: Give God at least 10% right off the top from each and every paycheck (I give on the gross), through your local church, and give it joyfully and thankfully. No worries about being able to meet the rest of your budget, for God will honor your obedience to His commands, and He will take care of the rest. If you are a God-honoring, thankful person, then be sure that you meet together with other believers at a local church at least once or twice a week, and try to bless and encourage someone there. God will see to it that blessings will be returned to you many times over! Friends, you can’t out-give God!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank You for all that You have given to me and the doors of opportunity You have opened to me. Lord, it seems like we are quick to honor all that’s expected of us from government, our employer and our family, yet we often wait until our luck has run out to look to You. Please forgive us for our ungrateful hearts, and teach us to become loyal to the source and giver of all things, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 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!

How to Obtain Success for Yourself and Your Children!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Fear, Obedience, Respect, SuccessLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Thursday, 2017-01-12
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 5:29 (CEV)

Text:

 29 I wish they would always worship me with fear and trembling and be this willing to obey me! Then they and their children would always enjoy a successful life.
OBSERVATION:
The Israelites went to their leader, Moses, after hearing the voice of God coming from the mountain, and asked him to go and speak to God again on their behalf. This time with a message – that they would be obedient to whatever commands God conveys to Moses for the people to do. Our merciful God didn’t respond with a whole list of commands that would enslave the people until their death, but instead simply responded that He would desire that they respectfully honor, or fear Him from a heart of respect – to the degree that they would come before Him trembling, and that they would always seek to be obedient to Him. Knowing how much humans like to be rewarded, God promised that if the Israelites honored these things and strived to live in this way, He would see to it that they, and their children would live and enjoy a successful life! Wow, what an awesome God we serve!
APPLICATION:
There are probably more books written, and more seminars offered, on the subject of ‘How to be more successful in life’, than perhaps any other subject that one could think of. Yet, in the Bible, God gave the answer to Moses for the Israelites, and He had this unique formula included in the best-selling book of all times, ‘The Bible’, because He wanted us to know about this also. Friends, it is very simple to understand, for we can research reasons why God created us in the first place, and we will learn that it was to worship and honor Him as Lord and creator of all mankind. Like the Israelites who found more attraction to making their own gods, and then chose to worship those idols, rather than the God of this universe, we too have chosen to travel down every other path for success, rather than looking to the original plan that God designed. Notice that God didn’t tell Moses that the people would be more successful in His temple, or in His temple work, although I’m sure this was all included in His promise, but He simply said that they and their children would enjoy a successful life, period. Friends, this is one of the basics of life – meaning that this simple command from God is a prerequisite to all other things in life that we might attempt to do. So check this simple command out: ‘Worship God’ – recognize Him for who He is and give praises to Him for all that He has done, is doing and has promised to do for us. This is not just a church-type worship thing, but a mindset for the individual; Do this ‘With fear and trembling’ – know that your God is a holy and righteous God and above all other powers of this world, therefore come into His presence to worship Him with respect and honor, recognizing Him for who He is. When we do this, we will learn very quickly that He controls our destiny, so we learn to chat with Him about those things that are on our mind – both concerns, and our ideas/desires for the future, and we will therefore ask Him to direct our path so that we might always honor and praise Him. God’s promise to the Israelites, and to His children at large, is that He will bless us with success personally, and even bless our offspring. What is it that you would not do in order to see success for your children? God has made it easy for us to do just that. Trust Him friend, and be obedient to worship Him in fear and trembling, for He will give you and your children success!
PRAYER:
Father, You are more precious than silver or gold, and we worship You Almighty God, for there is none like You! Thank You for making life so simple for us, and please forgive us for making it so complex and stressed. There is much to praise You for, because You have been so good to us. We respect You heavenly Father, for You are our righteousness and our Protector and our Deliverer from all evil. Lord, may we wrap our minds around this and be obedient to You in every way. Yes, we want success for ourselves, and especially for our kids, but more than anything else, may we be ever mindful of Your love and Your sacrifice that You were kind enough to make for our eternal salvation. Lord, You are so deserving of our worship, our respect and our hearts that should always be humbled to trembling. We love You Lord and we long to be with You in glory, but while here on this earth, may our minds be so directed towards You that Your joy will overflow through every act of love that we express towards others, so that they may be drawn to You. 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!

Always Praising God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Glory of God, Praise, WorthyLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: Psalm 75:9-10
Today’s Bible Text: But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I wish that one day people will be able to look around and observe from the positive attitudes and the praising mindset, that certain folk are true children of God. Most folk are so accustomed to people whining and complaining that they almost expect it. In fact, we have to be extra careful that we don’t encourage it! I believe that we often need to take a closer look at those saints who preceded us. Take, for example Paul, who declared the glory of God even while in chains, inside of a cold, damp prison, and he won prison guards to the Lord! In our scripture today, David shares that he would always brag about what God had done, and sing His praises. Friends, David had some pretty trying times, but yet he vowed to honor God and praise Him. I believe that when we learn to praise God in ALL circumstances of life, we acknowledge that He is in charge, even when things don’t go our way. It also shows that we have confidence that our God will be with us through every phase of life here on this earth, until He calls us home to be with Him. Sinners will notice when we praise God even in our storms of life, for they are so used to the cursing, whining and complaining from folk all around them, when times are tough. They will instantly recognize the power of God in us. Let me be quick to follow this by saying that we don’t just praise for the purpose of showing others, for it’s through our sincere praise, and our worship to God that others will recognize whose we are. We should never have to tell anyone that we are a Christian, for it should be evident in our lifestyle, our priorities, our words and our actions. If Christ abides within, His joy, His peace, His love and His glory will exude from us in all aspects of our life. I trust that your praises, will be a meter to indicate how blessed you are by the King of all kings, our Lord and our Redeemer!

Prayer: Jesus, You are more than amazing, more than wonderful, more than worthy to me. I am blessed beyond measure and so amazed by Your love for me. Please touch the hearts of Your children today so that they may acknowledge Your presence in their lives, and then allow the overflow of blessings to pour forth from them, so that others may be drawn to You. Lord, You are worthy of our lifelong praise! May we be found faithful in lifting holy hands to praise You in love and sincerity of heart, because of who You are and for all that You do for us every day. May Your name be glorified today oh Lord, for this is my humble plea on behalf of myself and all of my readers, in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

2016

How To Be Pure and Innocent Children of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Humble, Innocent, Obedient, PurityLeave a comment

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

The Bible Reference: Philippians 2:13-16
The Bible Text: God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him. Do everything without grumbling or arguing. Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, as you hold firmly to the message that gives life.
The Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: Friends, there’s some powerful stuff packed into these few verses that Paul is sharing with the church at Philippi, and that God has placed in His Word to get our attention today. Let us concentrate on a few of these things and be encouraged by them:

  • God is working inside of us to make us willing, and able to obey Him – This is so powerful, because we tend to often worry that we could never withstand the temptations of the evil one working through his earthly agents. Notice how very right we are in thinking that way? Paul reminds us that it is only God that can help us with that. It is God that we must look to for strength, direction and power to overcome the evil one. I believe that it is incumbent upon us to seek God’s face and surrender our will to His. Let Him do His work in us. That’s the only way that we will stand a chance in this old wicked and perverse world.
  • Do everything without grumbling and complaining – I am ashamed at how much I grumble and complain. Generally, I am a very positive person, but friends, you and I can do a whole lot better than we are doing, if only we will place our total faith and trust in God and consider it all joy when things are not necessarily going the way that pleases us. It’s not about us. It’s all about what pleases our God. Many times our wishes are very selfish, God’s ways will lead a person to the cross of Calvary where they may be saved. His ways will correct a person’s ways so that they might be better identified, or recognized as His child, so that the lost might see and believe. We grumble and complain because things are not being done to our liking or the way of our selfish will. Take note of the subject again, and remind yourself that we are to be pure and innocent children of God. It is for His glory and His honor, and it is God who will receive praise when His children obey Him.
  • Although living among evil and perverse people, we must stay away from things they think is wrong – This one really caught my eye, but then I suppose that if the world thinks something is wrong, imagine how wrong it must really be in God’s eyes! I realize this means that the world probably has us ‘in a box’ and that they are examining our every move. But friends, hopefully this means that they have a perfect image of God, and therefore they are looking for perfection in those of us who claim to represent Him.
  • Be a bright and shining light in a dark world – Unless the world sees something different about us, why would they follow us to the cross? They may as well follow their other friend that has no hope at all.

I believe that unless we depend on God, and personally strive to be obedient to His will for our lives, we will never be pure and innocent children before God, nor before the wicked world in which we live. If it’s to be, it’s up to you, friend.

Prayer: Just as we strive to see perfection in our children, Father I believe that Your desire is to see Your children aim towards perfection in following Your will and Your way before a lost and dying world. There’s so much to be done before this world will truly see, submit to, accept and follow the ways of our Master. However, with Your grace dear Father, and with Your help, I believe that the process can begin by us agreeing to be Your hands, Your feet, Your witness and Your innocent representatives. Please have Your will and way in our lives today Oh Lord, beginning with me. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, and for Your sake Oh Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

Your Choice – Blessings or Curses

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Curses, TransformationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Deuteronomy 28:1-2 & 15 ~ 1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving -you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: …. 15 “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you: ….

THOUGHTS: I know, you looked at the title today and almost didn’t open this to read it, because you probably figured that this old man just lost his marbles (brains), otherwise why else would he possibly think that you would be interested in reading about ‘curses’? Of course you don’t want that, right? If you are one that is ‘fully obedient to the Lord’ and ‘carefully keeping His commands’, then I agree I am wasting your precious time by explain what you can expect in 2016 because of your disobedience. Oops, nothing is said in the text about 2016, right? But friend, why would God possibly bless us if we are disobedient? Do you suppose it was just the Israelites that He loved enough to discipline when they disobeyed? Perhaps I should remind you that it was us that God sent His only Son, Jesus, to the cross for our forgiveness, our salvation from sin, our peace about eternity with Him in glory. You see, through His servant Moses, God warned the Israelites that as they entered the Promised Land that He brought them to; that He cleared the path for; and that He prepared just for them; they had a choice to make. They could enter and choose: (1) To be obedient to God and keep His commands taught to them over the past 40 years – and this would result in blessings that it took the writer 13 verses to express to them. Otherwise, (2) To be disobedient and not keep the commands of God, and they could expect curses on every aspect of their lives. In fact, it took the writer the next 52 verses to detail all of the curses that would fall upon this chosen people. Friends, why would this be any different for us as we welcome another year in that God has led us to, and that He has prepared as a clean slate for us? In your wildest expectations, do you suppose that God would possibly bless a people that drag into a brand new year, all of the sin, disobedience and disregard that He absolutely deplores? If God tarries, we have at least a few days to think about this; to clean up our act; to spend time in prayer before the Father seeking His forgiveness and asking for His strength and boldness to obey under every circumstance of life. Without some obvious and intentional steps by us, and if God permits time to go on, we will enter 2016 under the same load of sin and punishment we have faced in 2015. I believe God is teaching us in this scripture today that it really doesn’t have to be that way. Our destiny can be changed, with God’s help, if we choose to be obedient children of God. Won’t you do that today friend? For the unbeliever reading this today, please know that God wants your heart first. Please read my ‘Footnote’ for tips on how to personally know my Savior. Only as His child, will He hear your cry for help, direction, and the promised blessings only He can offer you in 2016.

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for providing the greatest gift ever, in the form of Your Precious Son – Jesus. You loved, protected and led the Israelites through 40 years of life-challenges, then You provided the wonders and the blessings of the Promised Land to them! You still love, protect and lead Your children today and You have promised an even greater Promised Land for those who truly know You personally. You had blessings in store for the Israelites who obeyed You and kept Your commands. I believe that 2016 can be a time period You are calling us into where blessings may abound for those who know and obey You, however You have promised us an even greater Promised Land – Heaven where we will meet with You and the Father eternally in worship, praise and adoration. Please bless us as we tarry on this old earth, so that one day soon we may advance to our ultimate Promised Land with You! Oh I long To See You, Look Upon Your Face, There to Sing forever of Your Saving Grace! Lord, please speak to the hearts of those needing discipline, even while still in 2015. May they receive a word from You today that will convince them of their sin and incent them to clean their act up and prepare to meet You in action in 2016 and be blessed by You in every way imaginable. May our blessings transform the lives of others as they gaze on Your goodness. I ask these things in faith, and in the strong name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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!

Help Others To See God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Holy Spirit, Honor, Respect, WorthyLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – … didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ~ The Message (MSG)

THOUGHTS: These verses came at the conclusion of Paul warning the Corinthians about sexual impurity. However, I believe that we should look closely at all aspects of our life where we tend to abuse the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’ – our bodies. First, let’s stop and think about the holiness we recognize in our churches, and the respect we give to the ‘house of God’. I agree it should be respected, because it is a place where we go as a family to meet God and worship Him. However, God’s Word is clear on the subject of the Holy Spirit (part of the triune godhead) taking up residence within us when we accept Jesus (another part of the triune godhead) as our Savior and Lord. So if, at conversion, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us to help us live godly lives, wouldn’t you assume that He also partakes of all other aspects of our life? Wouldn’t it be obvious that some of the things we do must obviously be done against the will of the God who lives within us? Let me list just a few, just in case you are questioning what I could possibly be thinking about:

  • Gossip – the Word is clear that we are to build each other up and not tear down. When we spread news about a Brother or Sister we are helping to tear them down. Surely the Holy Spirit, who has been drug into this cruel act, is hurt that we have chosen to disobey His Father and deliberately disobeying what He desires of us;
  • Alcohol; Drugs; Tobacco; Gorging ourselves – Some of these are controlling substances, so we sinfully allow these things to take control while we put our primary Guide (the Holy Spirit) on the back burner, until we need Him to guide us again. Very sad. All of these things are destructive to our bodies, and remember this is where the Holy Spirit resides. So we ask Him to stand by while we send in very destructive things to make His living extremely challenging and impossible;
  • Pornography; and Undesirable movies – Ever noticed how embarrassed we are to let our friends see us watching such a movie. I wonder why we never stop to ponder why would we ever subject the Holy Spirit to such ‘trash’ that was obviously designed for the children of this world (Satan).

Perhaps there are other things that the Holy Spirit might speak to your heart about friends, but whatever it is, please seek the help of the Holy Spirit and work towards getting your ‘temple’ clean, respectable and worthy of the King of all Kings, for He deserves the same honor that we would give to God Himself. Let’s not take for granted all that was sacrificed so that we might become holy, even as God is holy. Remember, when we allow the Holy Spirit to fully control our lives, it is evident to others who rules and reigns in our lives. We become usable witnesses for Him!

PRAYER: Lord God, You are so worthy, and we are so needy. Please help us to stay focused on the Savior of this world and all that You have done for us. Please help us to always remember who resides inside of us, so that we may respect Your Holy Spirit who came to help us live life pleasing to You in every way. We all love choices, but yet we abuse those options so frequently. Please keep us accountable, but more than anything, please prompt us towards holy living so that we will offer no disrespect to the Holy Spirit. I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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, Sebring, FL! 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!

So You May Believe!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Disciples, John, Miracles, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 30 Jesus did many other powerful works in front of His followers. They are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. When you put your trust in Him, you will have life that lasts forever through His name. John 20:30-31 – New Life Version (NLF)

THOUGHTS: I believe that in most cases in this life we quickly learn whose words we can trust, because often friends will either add on for emphasis, or simply tell their story so dramatically in order to gain our attention to what they are saying, that many parts of the story is simply placed in there and may not be in line with the truth of the story. I could only imagine that like me, you quickly discern who you have to listen very selectively to, and who you can trust with the whole truth. I remember my dad telling me that if a person has to swear by someone or something when telling you a story, be very careful as that story is probably riveted with lies! Similarly, many people will exaggerate so much in quoting quantities, until I sometime feel like I need to sift through a conversation to determine the real truth! In the gospel of John, we read so many facts about he and his fellow disciples interacting with Jesus, that one could very easily walk away feeling like they may have been present during the events described. I would strongly encourage my readers to take time to read the 20th chapter of John, and to closely examine the actions and words of those that visited the tomb of Jesus. Bear in mind that these were Jesus’ closest friends and followers. Can’t you imagine the content of their prayers leading up to this time, after seeing their Master taken from them, beaten beyond recognition, crucified on an old wooden cross in a public setting and buried in a borrowed tomb? Remember that these prayers were going up to the same One that they attributed multiple healings, bodily resurrection, and many other miracles to. Yet when they saw the miracle of resurrection, again they were flabbergasted. This story, combined with multiple others, which were only a small portion of all the events they witnessed throughout their time with Jesus, yet these things were written down by John for the specific reason written in our key verses above. John wanted to show us what it was like for he and his Brothers to be around Jesus, and how He made a believer out of them. He wanted us to have faith in the same Jesus, who was key in the stories shared with us, so that we might also become focused on Jesus, that we would also become a believer in Jesus, and surrender our lives to Him. John knew that as we are transformed, that we would go on to share our story of this same Savior that rescued us from damnation and the destination of Hell, and that Jesus would use our story to also impact lives for Himself. How are you doing with that friend? John’s story became a part of the best-selling Book in history. How do you suppose Jesus will view your story, and your effort to broadcast it to those within your realm of influence?

PRAYER: Father, You were faithful, You were miraculous in all Your works while in the presence of John and Your disciples. Your plan included the death and resurrection of Jesus to resolve the issue of redemption of our sin, as we seek Your face. You had a very strong influence in the lives of Your disciples. However, with all honor and praise to our risen Lord, we know that You are still in the miracle working business, the greatest of which was transforming the life of a sinner such as I into the likeness of Your very Son, Jesus Christ! So undeserving, yet You love me as a son of the Most High. Father, please provoke a desire into the lives of my readers, my family, my friends and myself to tell our story of Your wondrous works to which we have been a party to or at least a witness. Lord You are so good! We have every reason to share Your goodness with everyone we come into contact with who may not have accepted Your grace and Your offer of salvation yet. May this be a day that others will be transformed because of Your gracious transformation in our lives. Lord, I believe. Please help me to share that with all who may not have reached that state yet – all being for Your full glory and honor. For I ask this in faith, and through the gracious name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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, Sebring, FL! 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!