Tag: Kind

Your Character Qualities Show Where You Gain Your Wisdom From!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Character, qualities, Witness2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Please read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: James 3:14–18
Today’s Bible Text: If your heart is full of bitter jealousy and selfishness, don’t brag or lie to cover up the truth. That kind of wisdom doesn’t come from above. It is earthly and selfish and comes from the devil himself. Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.
The Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: Often we will hear someone say that we don’t need to tell them who our parents are, because they had already determined that, based on the character qualities that they observed in us! Similarly, James is warning us that our character qualities will prove who we are being influenced by spiritually. Look at the qualities in these two columns and determine what the majority of your character qualities are telling the world about who is leading your life:

From The Devil From Above
Bitter jealousy Pure
Selfishness Friendly
Earthly Gentle
Jealous Sensible
Kind
Helpful
Genuine
Sincere
Will cause trouble & do all sorts of cruel things Will harvest justice (peace and righteousness)

Friends, I could only imagine that you may be feeling a lot more transparent than you ever planned to, but the Word of God is very clear. Another scripture tells us that by your fruits they will know you. May I remind you that these qualities of which we are studying about, comes from hanging around the key players. If you hang around God and His Word, you will learn and practice His characteristics automatically, because You want to become more like Him. I believe you are plenty smart enough to figure out what happens when you don’t hang around God, or read His Word, or try to live by the things taught in His Word, but please take particular note of the last line in each column above. Those are the results of the character qualities that you produce. We have both kinds of people in our world today. Which column do you fall into? Only God can help you improve your life qualities, if you’re not happy with where you are at. Please consider allowing Him to do that.

Prayer: Lord God, it’s You that I long to be like in every aspect of my life. Being reminded today of how glaringly obvious this is to everyone I come into contact with, drives me to a greater determination to make sure that they only see Jesus and your rich qualities that will draw mankind to Yourself. Lord, I pray that my readers will join me in saying that this life would be meaningless if we travel through it without impacting individuals for Your kingdom. Lord, may Your perfect will be accomplished in and through Your humble servants today so that the lost might see the King of all kings, even in us. You alone are holy Lord, so please have Your will and way in our lives, so that the unsaved may see and yearn for Your holiness. I ask these things in the precious and holy 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

Qualities of The Lord’s Servant

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedient, Servants of God, TeacherLeave 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: 2 Timothy 2:24–26
Today’s Bible Text: As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind towards all, a good and patient teacher, gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will.
The Bible Translation: The Good news Translation (GNT)

My Take Away: An important tip given to us at a conference last year, is that we look for the ‘so that’ in God’s Word, as well as remember that in our prayers when we are asking God for things. In the scripture today, it is important for us to note: So that people might see God and desire to know Him, it is important that Christians – especially Christian teachers, concentrate on a few important qualities:

  • Do not quarrel – remember, it takes two to quarrel! Sometimes it seems like Satan may have sent certain people into the classroom to disrupt the teaching of God’s Word, because it appears like they do their very best to get the teacher off track. God expects us to be understanding and not quarrel. The last thing we want to do is appear like Satan is getting through to us. Remember, our job is way more important in doing God’s work. If we commit to His work, and surrender our will to His, He will help us to deal with the troublemakers;
  • Be kind towards all – it is so human for us to love the ‘teacher’s pet’, but despise the troublemaker – the one who is constantly looking to put us on the spot with challenging questions, or disrupt the class;
  • Be a good and patient teacher – to be a good teacher, I believe it is important that we have sought God’s will for the class, studied the lesson well, and therefore excited about teaching all that God has taught you, to the students that God has placed before you at just that perfect time. To be patient, means that others in the room may have a word from God also, therefore they may have valuable input to add to your teaching. Being patient means accepting the fact that not everyone in the class will be at the same level you are at in knowledge or their relationship with the Lord;
  • Be gentle as you correct others – treat students as individuals that you want to help in the boat, not sit back and watch them drown. Show them that you want them to understand what you are trying to relay. Show them that you care about them.

Let’s be careful to always remember that we are representing the Master, as we try to share His Word with others, so let’s act like we believe He would act if He was standing before the class. Let’s look for His heart and try to imitate that same heart as we teach. God’s Word is very clear, that He would prefer that none of His kids should perish. Let us therefore do all we can to help prevent any from perishing because of their sin, or lack of spiritual understanding. God can use even you, friend! Please be obedient to whatever He should ask of you.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for using even us to get Your message across to the lost, and to the stubborn who allows Satan to distract them. I agree that Your Word is very powerful, but I also know that often You will show one person something totally different to another saint, yet from the same passage. Please help us to always recognize that as a key indicator that Your Word is alive and will speak to different folk differently. Please help us to study Your Word and be ready to share how It spoke to our heart. May our teaching fall on good and obedient ears so that Your will might be accomplished in the hearts of those that so desperately need You. Touch the hearts of Your Bible teachers even now dear Lord, so that they may proclaim Your Word in power and in the full strength intended. You are awesome oh God, and I worship and adore You today for who You are and for all that You teach me through Your Word. Have Your perfect will and way today oh Lord in the lives of all who open Your Word, 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

Love Is….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Imitator of Christ, LoveLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 4 Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or 5 rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. 6 Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7 Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 8 Love never fails! ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ~ The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

THOUGHTS: This scripture will probably sound very familiar to you, because you either heard it read at your wedding, or at a wedding ceremony where you were in attendance. Yes, I agree that this whole chapter, known as the ‘Love’ chapter, very much applies to a couple either considering marriage or may even serve as a commitment for a couple making a lifetime commitment based on the love that they share for each other. This actually hit me a little differently as I meditated on this passage this morning, and it is from this perspective that I would like to share a few words with you today. God is the greatest demonstrator of love – to the extent that He is even referred to as ‘love’ in the Biblical phrase “God is ‘love’“. So considering that He sent His Son as our example of His love for us, and if everything ‘Love’ did while here on earth represents ‘love’ in its truest form, should we not be following His example? If we expect to be ‘little Christs’, then we must closely study what Christ himself did, and what He stood for. Don’t you know that we must always question our motives or even our relationship with the Lord when we realize that we are being: unkind; impatient; jealous; boastful; rude; selfish; quick tempered; keeping records of the wrongs other do; despising the truth; rejoicing in evil; unsupportive; disloyal; mistrusting and always failing in our commitments and love towards others? Friends, these actions are more characteristic of the enemy (Satan), so can we truly convince the world that we are a child of the King of all kings, when we act like that? May I challenge you to review your actions after your events of today and talk it over with God, so He could open your eyes to whether you represented His characteristic of ‘Love’, or whether it was probably pretty obvious to everyone who controls your life? This could result in a pretty sobering turn around in your life, all because of ‘LOVE’. I trust that it will be evident to the world whose you are by the love that you show towards God and mankind each day!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, loving Savior, thank You for the ultimate love that You demonstrated on the cross so that we may know You – that we may know the essence of ‘Love’. Lord, Your Word is clear that we must demonstrate all that You have taught us so that the world might see You in all that we are and in all that we say. May this be a day that Your children will make it obvious to the world, that they are Yours and may it be proven through our words, actions and love. Thank You Father for first loving us! Now, may we carry on that tradition by loving all that we come into contact with! I ask these things in all sincerity and through the loving 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 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!