Tag: King of kings

What To Expect from Children of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-12-23
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 6:37-38
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: 37 “Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change]. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

APPLICATION: It wasn’t many years ago that I learned from the Word of God about how I will receive from God, based on the degree that I give to His work, and others, in His name. As I came across this Scripture in my meditation today, I was reminded that if we are to be like Jesus, obey His commands, and imitate His life lessons that He demonstrated to us while on earth, then we must prepare each day to live totally dependent on God, because only then will we be different in the eyes of those we meet. You see, it is clear that we respond to others based on the way they treat us or speak to us. If they are angry at us, it is almost impossible for us to respond with a humble and graceful response. If they are constantly after everything we own, it is just not humanly possible for us to offer them anything that they didn’t already demand from us. Store owners are consistently in their strongest defense mode, being afraid of shoppers stealing from them. It totally blows their mind when an honest shopper returns the extra change to them when a cashier made a mistake. But is this surprising to our Master? Of course not, He created us, and He is all knowing about what we will do and/or say today, tomorrow and in future days. That’s why He wanted to train his disciples, and also give us guardrails on how we might best respond, as His children, when Satan works hard on his gang to throw us in our Christian walk. I love the way that the Amplified Verson gives us additional commentary in brackets, as we read the Scripture. This is extremely helpful in opening our eyes to what Jesus meant in His teaching. And while I don’t need to offer additional commentary, I do want to emphasize the key points in today’s Scripture, as these are subjects that we tend to fear in our own lives. No doubt Jesus wanted to teach us that we must begin by personally breaking the cycle of fear and hurt in these areas, as we interact with others. In other words, act in the same way that you want others to treat you:
–> Judging – The world shows how wrong others are and demands how we must act if we are to ever expect to get it right. Jesus teaches that we will be judged at the same level that we judge others. That could get pretty severe, if we don’t seek the help of Jesus to leave the judging up to Him! Friends, we have a lot of fingers already pointing back at us when we point a finger at others.
–> Condemning – Similar to the above, how or why are we to condemn others, when we are not the perfect one here on earth? Show them the right way by teaching them the Word of God. It’s not our job to condemn others, while trying in ourselves to pattern our lives after Jesus.
–> Pardoning/forgiving – Grudges are unfortunately held for years against another Brother or Sister when they did something viewed as wrong in the eyes of the offended one. But are we ourselves perfect as Christ is perfect? Jesus taught is to freely forgive one another when they repent and change, for we also will one day need their forgiveness.
–> Giving – Jesus praised a woman who gave 2 cents, as it was everything remaining in her small piggybank. If, however, we give 2 cents from our large bank account, because we feel like that’s all the preacher is worth, or the rich church needs, what might we think when we receive just a very small portion of all the riches of heaven? I love the idea behind this lesson from Jesus, for it tells me that I set the level of what I might receive, by the amount that I give. We can never outgive God, dear friends, so be ready to give generously with a giving and loving heart. It’s not our job to hold back on what God has blessed us with because we feel like the church, or an individual, is unworthy of our sacrifice. Our command is to give, God’s job is to incent and subsequently judge how others use our gifts for His glory!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We receive overwhelming because we give sacrificially and freely. No need to blame God, or accuse Satan, instead, look inward at our own heart and willingness to give monetarily, time and effort, forgiveness, condemnation and love!

PRAYER: Especially during this Christmas season, dear Lord, teach us to give – just like You gave in the manger at Bethlehem, from a heart of love for our fellow man. Thank You Lord for Your commands that teach us to live, love and respond like You showed us to. As we celebrate the baby in a manger, may the Jesus who hung on the cross for our eternal salvation be evident in everything about us. Shine Jesus, shine, through Your humble servants seeking to practice and carry out every lesson taught to us in Your Word, so that You may be lifted up and praised in everything we say or do. May this serve to draw mankind 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 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!

God Honors His Obedient Servants

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Honor, Needs, Obedience, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-12-21
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Kings 18:3; 18:5-7; 19:25;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 Hezekiah obeyed the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done. 
5 Hezekiah trusted the Lord God of Israel. No other king of Judah was like Hezekiah, either before or after him. 6 He was completely faithful to the Lord and obeyed the laws the Lord had given to Moses for the people. 7 The Lord helped Hezekiah, so he was successful in everything he did. He even rebelled against the king of Assyria, refusing to be his servant.
25 Sennacherib, now listen to me, the Lord. I planned all this long ago. And you don’t even realize that I alone am the one who decided that you would do these things. I let you make ruins of fortified cities.

APPLICATION: The two chapters referenced are extremely encouraging and exciting, as they remind us of our awesome God who is very much alive and responding to our commitment to Him. Please take time to read these two chapters again today. I was intrigued by the level of commitment by king Hezekiah. Let’s remember that many kings decided to not ‘rock the boat’ and change any of the evil practices of their countrymen. However, David was a standard bearer, as new kings were always compared to their ancestor, David. Changing the ‘norm’ is something that will raise up the people against their leaders, for they are comfortable with doing the same old, same old. Yet Hezikiah decided in his heart that he would continue to be faithful to his God, whether he was king or pauper. I wonder how often we let down our guards just to go along with the crowd, and not stand out by being different? Hezekiah must have often questioned whether it was worth it to be different and stick to his principles as taught by God and his ancestors, because he was challenged on many fronts. However, I was blessed to see how God took care of Hezekiah and his people! Hezekiah may have gotten nervous when the powerful Assyrian king threatened to wipe out he and his country, just as we get nervous when we listen to the news and hear about world threats that could easily escalate to include our own country. But notice how the similarities may end when Hezekiah sought the advice of a godly role model in his day – the prophet Isaiah. Notice how Hezekiah never cursed God, but instead went to the temple and prayed even harder. Notice how Isaiah shows nothing but sincerity in relaying to Hezekiah exactly what God told him, without adding any of his personal ideas or recommendations. Notice how, through God message to Isaiah, He revealed to Hezekiah that these challenges from the Asyrian king was not a surprise to Him, but it was all in God’s plan! Notice how, even when things we read in the Bible, or in prophesies revealed to us, things may seem so far out that it’s hard to imagine the plan of God, yet we see through yet another situation where God will never withhold His blessing, or reserve His mighty plan, but instead He will do what He promised. Things beyond our control often seem impossible to us, but with the grace of God, and in His mighty power, God will never renege on His promises – He will take care of us! Let me encourage you, dear friends, to trust in the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul and mind, and He will make your path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). He did it for Hezekiah and He will do it for you!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Overnight the Asyrian army lost 185,000 men, while Hezekiah did nothing but trusting, obeying and believing. There’s no army too big, or battle too complex for our God to handle – all by Himself! Believe in Him and watch it happen!

PRAYER: So much seems impossible to us today, Lord. The economy, war, hatred, politics, family squabbles and more. Yet we are reminded in today’s Scripture that You are a God who specializes in impossibilities for those who trust in You! Praise God that You saw me in my sin. You rescued me and saved me from sin and gave me eternal life with the Father, His Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. While remaining here on earth, I tend to see in my human strength. Thank You for reminding me of the supersized challenges that You overcame for Hezekiah, who had fully committed His life to You. Because You proved Yourself over and over again in the Bible, I believe that my readers, listeners and I could stand at ease, knowing that we serve a God of miracles, and that Your power is much greater than anything we could ever imagine. Instead of panicking over issues that seem so huge to us, please help us to always turn to You as our Savior, and also as our all-powerful King over all heaven and earth. Nothing is too big for You, for You made it all and You have every right to do whatever You want with it. May our faith grow each day so that we may place our faith and trust in You, being confident that You can handle every situation just as You had planned for it! 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!

Reminders Of What Makes Strong Christians

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Example of Christ, Godly example, Needs, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-12-20
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 119:171-175
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 171 I will always praise you, because you teach me your laws.
172 I will sing about your law, because your commands are just.
173 Always be ready to help me, because I follow your commands.
174 How I long for your saving help, O Lord! I find happiness in your law.
175 Give me life, so that I may praise you; may your instructions help me.

APPLICATION: It seems like our society has become so self-centered and fixed on making their own rules, in lieu of those made by God and/or our national leaders. When this happens, we become very vocal about how God and/or our country failed in presenting the ‘right’ rules, especially the ‘politically correct’ rules for us! This mindset is not only destroying morals and devastating our peace on earth, but it provides free reign for those with criminal minds. But doesn’t this concept also leak into our churches? I know, not your church, right? Friends, I’m not here today as God, so I will not condemn your church, nor mine, but I do want to share what the Word of God says, for I am convinced that if we have a desire and a sincere love for God’s Word, and have the desire to obey it, then our world would be a much better place in which to live. Should this desire exist, then I believe that God will richly bless the child who learns from saints such as David, that falls deeply in love with the commands of God and are willing to obey them, without trying to correct God or suggest changes to Him. In our Pslam, I was overjoyed to see how David explained what contributed to him being a servant who is blessed in every way by God’s Word! Notice:
–> Because of all that he learned, understood and obeyed, from the laws of God, David’s heart overflowed in praise to his Maker. I believe this means that David found repeatedly that God’s laws were especially designed for blessing him in whatever he did. When this happens, of course it results in personal praise to our God. When this happens, of course it results in cooperate worship when gathered with other likeminded children of God. When this happens, it results in our churches (our congregations) worshipping from an overflowing heart that has already been blessed tremendously throughout the week? Try applying this personally without pointing fingers at those around you at church.
–> Because of God’s law, as laid out for us in His Word, David was incented to sing from his humble heart to His all-powerful and almighty God! Can you imagine him saying to God ‘You thought of me, when You added that piece to Your law! I can’t imagine the mess I would have made of things if I followed my own inclination’. Isn’t that just the opposite in our world today? We have to eliminate and restart rules and regulations by using our own words, neutral gender terms and worldly innuendos. After all God’s law was intended for those of old who knew no better. Dear friends, it’s because of our attitudes towards the things of God, that we have allowed such deterioration in our society today. From a solely personal perspective, what is it that prompts a song in your heart, my friend? I hope that it’s not just because the Worship Leader chose your favorite hymn. Otherwise, what will incent you to sing while out in the field, or driving down the street, or when you are facing challenging times? What will happen when that Worship Leader is absent from church? I believe our praise to our God is a very personal thing. First of all, it must come from a heart filled with praise, and the only way for that to truly happen, is through our personal relationship with Jesus. Read His Word. Fall in love with Him over and over again. Realizing His love for you, will incent you to open up and share your love for Him. That will occur as you worship! As we learn to worship Him personally and privately, then it will become natural for us to immerse ourselves into cooperate worship to the one true and living God. Practice it when all alone. Then be intentional at praising your God while at church.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: With God’s Word as an integral part of our daily lives, we will find ourselves naturally praising God for His many blessings and even for His laws as instituted for our protection and to act as our guardrails in life. He did it all for us!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, You are more than anything we could ever understand. We look at man’s laws every day, and we find so many flaws. Yet, as we read Your Word and are reminded of Your commands and Your laws, it is easy to see that You had us on Your mind all along. This excites us and gives us reason to worship You in every part of our lives. David set the example for us, and as we were reminded in today’s Scripture, David celebrated Your laws as it became obvious to him that it was all for His own good, and He was blessed beyond measure even in the tough times of life. Please Lord, help us to stay focused on You. Help us to make it a priority to read Your Word every day and look for the blessings that You have promised to those who love, honor and obey You. No doubt the world will look on and snub us as ‘Jesus freaks’ but help us to instead stay focused on the end goal – to be blessed of You as we await the day that we will unite around Your throne in heaven. Thank You, Jesus! Thank You Father for loving us so much! May that love be evident in our lives when we seek to honor and obey Your Word. 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!

Dashing Abodes and Glorious Bodies

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heaven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-12-19
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Philippians 3:20-21
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ 21  has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.

APPLICATION: In addressing this challenge from the Scripture today, I believe I can say like the T-Shirt – ‘been there and done that’!! For I accepted Jesus as my Savior many years ago, and I have developed a keen sense of the awesome power and unconditional love shown towards me by my Savior over the years. In 1987 I immigrated to the USA from my birth-country, the Bahamas. So I have an earthly glimpse of what it might be like to transition from the US to Heaven, whenever I am called upon by God for my final mission. But I feel like there is more to the reason Paul wanted to challenge believers on this subject. First let’s look at the verbiage he used. One can often identify your original citizenship. Normally it’s your dialect, but it might be in your mannerisms or in the examples you use during conversations, or even in the foods you like. So when Paul reminds us to reflect on our citizenship, I believe he is saying that we must act, speak, and respond to situations like citizens of our home country might tend to do. Friends, in short – there should never be a question in someone’s mind about who our principles, values and reactions are guided by. If it appears to someone that we may be saved, but then questions arise regarding our motives or actions, then there is reason to question our salvation. Should this happen, let me encourage you to return to the cross and seek God’s forgiveness, for you may have certainly not acted the part that you promised – to imitate His character, His teachings, and His commands. I believe it’s as simple as; if we are a child of God, then we act like a child of God. Of course, these actions are taught throughout God’s Word, so we should delve into this precious Book daily, for our direction, our wisdom, and our word from God on whatever we may face that day. When we prepare for our day, it’s like preparing for the heat of battle – for how we might respond, or act in the heat of battle. When the accountant says, “You’re bankrupt”; when the doctor says, “It’s cancer”; when your boyfriend says, “Goodbye,” what do we say? Our speech, our conversation will reveal whether we’re men and women who live for the material, the temporal, the earthly—or whether we are those who live for heaven – singularly. Friends, we are reminded by Paul that our eternal home is Heaven – it’s where God the Father, and His Son Jesus resides; It’s described in Revelation as a place where the streets are made of pure gold, the gates of jasper and there’s a home especially prepared just for us! It’s where believers will spend eternity! It’s a dashing place that we all should be anxious about knowing if it will be ours for all eternity! Paul also reminds us that heaven is a place where plastic surgery is no longer required, for we will have glorious bodies – just like the One that we will see when our eyes are opened to see Jesus in person! Do you suppose we could ever be contained here on earth if we truly lived in anticipation of what lies ahead for us? Paul wants us to live in that type of anticipation and excitement, for our call to glory can come at literally any moment!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: No matter what we live in here on earth, it will be nothing compared to the glories of Heaven and the place prepared for us there! No matter who we look up to here on earth, no one can compare to the One who waits for our arrival in Heaven! I am so blessed in being reminded of my future joy, that I want to live each day here on earth in anticipation of what’s to come!

PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for saving my soul, thank You for making me whole, complete, and filled with joy because of all that You have done for me! I glory in all that You have prepared for me, and the excitement of all that I can expect when we see you in Heaven! Please Lord, help my readers, listeners and I to always live now for what we have been promised in heaven when we unite in glory with You. Help us to always look to You when things become more challenging than we could hope to overcome, for we know that with You, we are more than conquerors. Be glorified today, Lord, and if it is up to us, please help us to ensure that You are glorified through us in the words we speak and in our interaction with others. 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!

Train To Act Like Children of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Children, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-12-18
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 6:32-36
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: 32 If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend [money] to those from whom you expect to receive [it back], what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to receive back the same amount. 35 But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, [k]expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.

APPLICATION: Salvation comes when we recognize the love, power and peace of our heavenly Savior. At that time, we decide that the life we were living, has done nothing for the eternal destiny that we want in heaven. So, we seek out the face of Jesus, and we make a 180 degree turn in the direction for our lives, with the help of Almighty God. But what happens to our years of experience in achieving the mannerisms and actions that we were taught by our earthly parents and by those we spent time with? We can’t bring those teachings with us, because they led us to a life of sin and eternal damnation. I believe that’s where our lesson comes in today, for Jesus saw the same challenge as He watched and listened to His followers. I love the way that Jesus pointed out critical areas of our everyday life, and how our attitudes towards each of these actions would change, when guided by the Holy Spirit in our new life in Jesus Christ. While I realize that all of you reading, or listening to, this devotional could easily identify the areas that Jesus pointed out, I would like to re-emphasize the teaching of, or training by, our Master on this subject:
–> On loving others: Jesus knew that our natural instinct would be to love those who show love towards us. But Jesus showed us in many instances throughout His life, and especially on the cross at Calvary, that His love is unconditional and without regard to whether we love Him or not. In aligning ourselves with Him, and in vowing to live our lives by following His example and obeying His teachings, then we would need to love differently than we were first taught. To be sons and daughters of the King, our love towards others must imitate the same love extended by our Father. If you don’t feel accomplished in this unique type of love yet, let me encourage you to draw even closer to God so that He may work in your life and give you the power to overcome your earthly desires and hindrances.
–> On doing good: While it may be easy to do things for people that love us, it becomes increasingly challenging to do things for those that despise us and seem determined to destroy us. Those who seem undeserving of our help. With Christ, all things are possible. Seek His strength, guidance and compassion to do for even those who seem unworthy of our effort. When we love unconditionally, we will more easily do things for others without expecting anything in return.
–> On lending money: Coming from a banking career, this one seems harder than most of the others, for me! Bankers are taught to protect depositors’ money and only lend when we are fairly certain that the funds could, and will, be paid back to the bank. That’s the easy kind of lending, because it was not our personal, hard-earned money that we were lending out. Jesus is training us to lend, even when we don’t expect to receive repayment, for it would demonstrate His kind of love, and His gift of life that He surrendered on Calvary for even the undeserving, and especially for those who couldn’t possibly pay Him back.
–> On being merciful: The world teaches us to become even harder on those who persecute us and cause us grief. But in our training lesson from Jesus, He wants us to be merciful to everyone, especially those on whom the world looks down on, and turns their noses up to. Remember the blind man by the roadside as Jesus passed by? The crowd pushed him back and tried to silence him, but Jesus called him to Himself and had mercy on him. You may come across several today who want to see Jesus at work, but they are rejected by the crowd and pushed back as undeserving of His time and mercy. Will you be part of the crowd, or will you stand up for Jesus?
May God grant you the strength to not only accept His Son as your free ticket into heaven, but to also live according to His teachings and example, as He taught in this Scripture today. Let’s all learn to be a child of the King, even when it is different to the world’s teachings and expectations.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus simply said that our reward will be great as we allow His training to guide us into loving others like He did; doing good to others as He did; lending money without expecting repayment; and being merciful to others in the same way that He did. In fact, we would become children of the Most High God!

PRAYER: From a world of sin, and training in earthly selfishness, to a Kingdom ruled by the Prince of Peace, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. May we all catch a fresh glimpse of the One who demonstrated perfect love towards us; the One who showed us personally how to do good for those who may appear undeserving of our attention and effort; and the One who showed mercy even towards those who came to arrest Him. Please kind Master, teach us to reflect Your image, Your unselfish giving and Your humble attitude towards everyone. This world in which we live could benefit so much from seeing You at work, especially through the skins of Your humble and obedient servants. Draw us closer to the cross Lord and draw the unsaved away from the hard shell they developed from the world, so that they too might see, experience and accept our risen Lord. Oh, that You may become more evident to our world, because of the recommitment of those who claim You as Savior and Lord. May we not only see You more clearly but demonstrate Your teachings to all that we encounter. 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!

How To Have Great Peace of Heart and Mind

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, God’s Word, Needs, Peace, Praise, Recognize God, The Word, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-12-15
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 119:165-168
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 165 Those who love your laws have great peace of heart and mind and do not stumble. 166 I long for your salvation, Lord, and so I have obeyed your laws. 167 I have looked for your commandments, and I love them very much; 168 yes, I have searched for them. You know this because everything I do is known to you.

APPLICATION: There are a ton of ‘How To…’ books sold on the market today, and many of us will buy them if we feel we are insecure or lacking in some area of life. David, the Psalmist, shared with us the secret in finding peace of mind, peace in our heart, and how to avoid stumbling in our daily walk. Notice that David made it clear that this is not just a formula that he could pretend to follow in order to gain success, for he reminds us that God can verify everything he did. Friends, I have no reason to doubt that this first-hand knowledge of God is still very appropriate in our case today. So, for believers today, I believe David is giving us the secret and the ‘how-to’ methods, and he is highly recommending that we follow in doing what he did. What might this look like in our world:
*-* Believe that God’s Word is true, and that our Father watches out for us and knows what’s best for us in every walk of life. Believe that God will give us peace of mind in knowing that He is there for us, in spite of what we may see going on all around us. Remember, there is nothing greater than God’s love for us, and the peace of knowing that come what may, He is in control, and He holds the key to eternity in heaven with He and the Son.
-*- His Word – provided for our guidance and direction so that we might know His will for our lives. This is perhaps the key medium through which God speaks to us today. There is no hope if we simply go before God to share our concerns, our hurts, our needs and our desires, if there is no way for us to hear back from Him. Yes, the Word of God contains many stories, and a lot about all that God has already done. But because God created us in His own image, and He was the instigator, influencer and inspiration for His Word to be written, He uses our time in the Word to confirm His will for our life. As you open your Bible, be sure to ask God to open your mind to Him. Eliminate all other distractions and read with a mind that is opened to God. You will not be disappointed, but instead feel fulfilled by each and every verse, chapter and book contained therein.
-*- Trust – learn to believe on the Lord Jesus and trust what He says. News reports and the uncertainty of the unsaved will be enough to send you over the edge here on earth. As you gain confidence in the ‘Great I Am’ and learn to trust in His perfect will that He is setting out for you to follow, you will learn that His ways are perfect and His plan for your future is filled with hope and expectations of a much brighter tomorrow.
Heaven is our eternal destination Christian Brothers and Sisters. Let’s lean to live like we believe that! Let’s take heed to the ways of the Psalmist and how he was blessed by his love for God’s Word. It’s still available to us, praise God! Oh that He may instill in us a desire to love His Word in similar ways to what David did.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Regardless of the circumstances all around us, we serve a God who has proven that He could overcome the world, ride above the waves, and prepare a place of perfect peace and rest for us in Heaven with He and His Son, just like He promised.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for bridging the gap between this old sinful world and the glories of Heaven for all who accepted You as their Lord and Savior. Please bless as only You could and open our eyes to the glory that awaits the believer. While You allow us to remain here on earth, please open our eyes to all that You have ordained for us to accomplish and give us a heart like that of our Savior where we want to honor and obey every instruction from the Father so that we may represent Him well while remaining here on earth for a little longer. People need the Lord. May those who touch our lives in some way, experience the love of Jesus and have a growing desire to know Him personally. To God be the glory for each and everything that He will accomplish through us – His humble servants. 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!

Run Towards The Goal

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Focused on the Goal, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-12-12
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Philippians 3:12-14; 16;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 12 I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. 13 My friends, I don’t feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. 14 I run toward the goal, so I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. 
16 … we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.

APPLICATION: No doubt you are very much like me, where we go on a trip for specific reasons, and our spouse was either not allowed, or we couldn’t afford to take them, or they had no interest in going. Even if our trip lasts only a very short time, we become anxious and excited about our reunion when it’s time to travel back to our home. In his former life, then known as Saul, the writer of today’s Scripture was an awful man. Most good citizens were afraid of him, and most wanted to stay far enough away from him. His main crime was persecuting Christians and the church. But one day, Jesus got through to Saul and, after convicting him of his sin, He then invited Saul, under his brand-new identity, Paul, to join Him in ministering to the very folk he was formerly out to entrap and kill. Doesn’t this sound very similar to your story? You may not have intentionally set out to destroy believers, but through various actions, it was probably evident to God that you hated them and was possibly envious of the hope that they had. Yet just like He did with Saul, He spoke into your life through the Holy Spirit, and called you to Himself. But Paul knew that this Christian life is way more than a one-time decision or experience, but a life dedicated to pleasing the One who saved us and is waiting to welcome us to our eternal home. So, it’s like a marathon runner who is chosen to represent his/her country in the Olympics. They don’t just take that invitation and post it on their bedroom wall and gloat over it, but they set a goal for which they can work towards in order to win the gold (the prize). Fortunately for the Christian, there is no rigorous physical exercise each day to strengthen the right muscle group, but instead our mission is to develop our relationship with the Master, and to share the joy of knowing Him with everyone we come into contact with. At our midweek service last night, we studied how God saved the Gentiles, so that the Jewish people might come to their senses and accept the Savior that God gave to the world. For each reader and/or listener who has accepted Jesus as Savior, I believe God wants us to be His representative in our world, where many have chosen to ignore the Gospel and/or accept Jesus into their lives. Is it evident to the unsaved that there’s something different about you? If not, how will they see and how will they know? Oh, that the church will be the church – every day and in every way, for the sake of the Kingdom.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Without looking back and gloating about past successes, may we set the same goal that Paul spoke of and run the course in a way that the world will know whose we are.

PRAYER: Lord, I am convinced that You didn’t save us to soak and sour. There are many that we come into contact with who are much like the Jews that Paul spoke of in our Scripture text today. They know of the ‘man upstairs’, or the ‘greater power’, or the ‘man in charge’, but because of their lack of commitment and personal relationship, there is no evidence that others will see in them. My sincere prayer is that we might always remember Paul in his desire to keep on striving towards the goal each and every day. I believe that means: live like the man you claim to be in Christ; Stand up for the things taught and commanded by God; Love unconditionally and respond with a compassionate heart just like Jesus did. Many still need Jesus. I pray that the remnant that God has established through His children still here on earth, will be attractive to the lost so they will be reminded of the King of all kings and Lord of all lords – the Savior of the world. 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!

Blessed By God’s Standards

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-12-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 6:20-23
TRANSLATION: New Century Version (NCV)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 Jesus looked at his followers and said,
“You people who are poor are blessed, because the kingdom of God belongs to you. 21 You people who are now hungry are blessed, because you will be satisfied. You people who are now crying are blessed, because you will laugh with joy.
22 “People will hate you, shut you out, insult you, and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be blessed. 23 Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.

APPLICATION: Many of you are probably familiar with ‘The Beatitudes’. However, some refer to these as godly standards by which we should live. When Jesus returned to the plains from His all-night prayer time with His Father, He delivered what is considered by many as the greatest sermon ever taught. This is due in part because the sermon is a repeat of one previously taught by Jesus on the mountain to a similar crowd. Because the sermon is recorded in the Bible, all of us who claim Jesus as Savior of our lives, also receive this sermon every time we read the Scriptures. So what shall we do with these challenging words of Jesus? I recommend that you refresh yourself on the content of this full chapter in Luke – the whole sermon. But I feel compelled to share a prayer written by one of my favorite commentaries on the Bible, Jon Courson. This will be posted under my ‘Prayer’ section of this devotional. Take it to heart friends and be blessed of God!

PRAYER: Let’s pray.…
“The standards, Lord, of Your kingdom—of giving, blessing, forgiving—are qualities I lack in and of myself. Therefore, I need forgiveness, and I embrace You as my Saviour. I bask, Lord, in Your grace. I plead Your blood. I invite You to come into my heart again, Lord. And in so doing, to allow my life to more completely display these qualities. Strip from me, Lord, hypocrisy. Take from me, Lord, attitudes of judgment or condemnation. Keep me, Lord, from being one who hears the Word, but doesn’t build my life thereon. I pray that my life might truly be built upon the Rock, that as the storms come, I might stand in that day. So, by the Spirit, and in the Spirit, I absorb these teachings, this message, and pray that I might do unto others as I would that they would do unto me. Make me like You, Jesus. Allow me to be one who is more concerned about compassion than tradition. Allow me to be one who responds to Your commandments rather than argue why they can’t be done. I pause in Your presence, asking You to do Your work in my life. Set me free, Lord, to be a liberator and lover of others as I look to and love 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 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!

Just Minister – The Needs Exist

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Effective Ministry, Healing, Needs, Needs of others, Praise, Recognize God, Recognize Needs, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-12-10
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 6:17-19
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: 17 Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a vast multitude of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to listen to Him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were troubled by unclean spirits (demons) were being healed. 19 All the people were trying to touch Him, because [healing] power was coming from Him and healing them all.

APPLICATION: No doubt, if you’ve been around churches very long, you may have heard pastors say things like: ‘There’s no retirement in Kingdom work’, or ‘I plan to be about my Father’s work for as long as I have breath’, or ‘My work is finished at that church’ or ‘It’s time for the younger generation to take over’. There are many more sayings that pastor’s make known to their church leadership, hoping that they would prepare themselves for electing another pastor to resume the work of ministering to their congregation. Pastors become disheartened, discouraged and downright tired, especially when they feel like the Holy Spirit has stopped working in the hearts of their congregants. But what if Jesus had taken that stand in today’s story? I was at a church where the youth would normally attend Disney’s ‘Night of Joy’ – an evening where this huge park was transformed into one large Christian event with gospel music echoed throughout the park until midnight on a Saturday. Our church leaders insisted in just one condition, attend, enjoy and be blessed, but church attendance is required on Sunday morning! The preceding verses tell us that Jesus had spent the whole night in prayer before His Father, but at the time that He arrived back in the plains with His disciples, there was a crowd gathered who needed a touch from the Master, and Jesus wasn’t about to let anything affect His impact on them. What if we served in our capacity as servants of the Most High God with the passion of the One we chose to imitate? What if we asked God to give us the strength and willingness to serve, based on the need of the people He sends to us? I never felt that I served in a selfish capacity or for what I might accomplish, or receive from the Master personally, but I’m not so sure that I always served from my heart and tired body, based on the needs of those whose stomachs, spirits, souls and minds depended on the encouragement they would receive from my ministry. I would imagine that I may be alone in feeling this way, but I believe that God wants us to think carefully about that today. Do we minister as to the Lord, and with every intent to please Him with what comes from our mouth, and through our actions? Do we minister with the heart soul and mind of the hearers in mind, and with every intent to help them draw closer to Jesus Christ? Sharing the gospel is like one beggar sharing what bread they have with another beggar. Both are in need of what is given to them, but they eagerly share what they receive with others. I believe that Jesus intimately knew the heart, soul and mind of each one that came to hear Him and be touched by Him. Perhaps if we made it a point to KNOW each hearer in such an intimate way, the Holy Spirit will help us minister to them more appropriately, rather than just checking the box that we gave another sermon, taught another Sunday School lesson, wrote another devotional, etc. etc. When something is given from the heart, it means more to the receiver and the giver!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The crowd gathered were being healed and walking away whole again, because they were in the presence of Jesus. We are told that Jesus would be with us when two or three gather in His name. Perhaps when we go to church and meet together with others to enter in the presence of Jesus, He will also ensure that mighty works are fulfilled in our presence also!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You for the reminder that meeting with You and having a relationship with You, has a lasting effect on us, our ministry and our hope for tomorrow. Please teach us to be more like You in ministering with the needs of the people in mind, and not for any personal satisfaction we might receive. Teach us also to be like the people who came from miles around just to be in Your presence, to hear Your teaching, receive Your healing touch, and to be filled again with Your awesome power. Oh, that You may work so powerfully in our lives, that others will be impacted and drawn to the one source of receiving eternal life. 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!

Blessings – Gifts To Those Whose God is the Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, gifts, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2022-12-09
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, Florida

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 144:15
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: 15 …. How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored] are the people whose God is the Lord!

APPLICATION: I grew up in just a small town, but there were some kids that had it all, some that barely had the necessities, and others that wished they had parents that just loved them. If you can identify with similar scenarios from your childhood, then you too might reflect on how you felt when you spent time around each child. You may have felt envious about some, while feeling sorry for others. In verses 12 – 14 of this chapter, David listed some things that he felt would make the lives of he and his fellow citizens a lot more bearable. This sounds a lot like us, for we make our lists for Christmas; for the store; and perhaps even a wish list for our spouse! However, David was quick to say that as children of the heavenly King, we are blessed beyond measure all the time. Often, we just need to get our envious minds out of the way and concentrate on our needs instead of our ever-growing list of wants! Based on a Scripture verse that I read one morning, I created a Facebook group, hoping to encourage my friends to join me in encouraging others by mentioning daily points of blessing and thanksgiving. Friends, if we believe this Scripture, then there should never be an awkward moment where we cannot share a blessing with someone. Let me encourage you to go before God anytime you can’t think of what you are thankful for. I believe God will open your mind and your eyes to so much, that you will be bubbling over to share your blessings with someone. What about you, my friend? If you removed the words ‘luck’ or ‘happen-chance’ from your vocabulary and really concentrated on the things that only God could have provided for you, can’t you see where you would quickly come into agreement with David, that as a child of the King, we are filled with blessings from our loving Lord – our Heavenly Father, E V E R Y day? Keeping the blessings confined to your internal satisfaction is like saying that you deserved those blessings and that they are yours and yours alone. Let’s learn to be appreciative of our blessings, dear friends, and let’s celebrate those blessings with others, for they need encouragement that our God is still alive, and He is still watching out for, and blessing His children beyond more than they could ever imagine or ask for! Count your blessing dear friend and see what your mighty God has done and will do!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we are thankful for life itself and we are especially thankful for Your precious love for us. Lord, thank You for showing us love in so many different ways and for consistently loving us through all of life’s good and challenging times. Please continue to bless so that we may be a blessing to others. Oh that You may be lifted up and exalted through even us. Please touch lives through our actions so the unsaved may be drawn unto Yourself. 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!