Blessed Are The Godly

On 2022-07-182022-07-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Godly actions, Godly example, Godly lives, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-07-18
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 97:10-12
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁰You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
¹¹Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right.
¹²May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name!

APPLICATION: Some of you reading this devotional today may not have made any spiritual decisions yet in your life. The bible teaches that you are an unbeliever, because you have chosen to ignore the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is impossible for you to fit the description of the righteous mentioned in our Scripture, because you have chosen to say no to the invitation by God to know Him and to live according to His example and His teachings. You cannot be right-with-God, or righteous, without a personal relationship with Him. Let me encourage you to continue reading my blog each day, because my whole purpose is to teach you about the Lord I love and adore, with hopes that you will one day hear His call on your life. Now to apply the actual teaching for today, I believe that the Holy Spirit, through the Psalmist, is convincing those of us that have accepted the Lord Jesus, and are striving to live a life patterned after His character and teachings, a few things worthy of our attention:
1. Hate evil – Evil is just the opposite to everything else that we read in the Bible, for we know full well that Jesus is LOVE and He teaches repeatedly that we are to love others, just as He has loved us. But I believe that God is saying that we should not live a double life. In other words, don’t say that you love God and everything He stands for, yet sit idly by and accept the evil that impacts our lives by the unrighteous. Furthermore, don’t promote the evil of the unrighteous by supporting their products and their habits. For example, the righteous may never consider entering into a prostitution house, but they will sit in the privacy of their own home and purchase, or watch a movie that promotes that lifestyle. If we are to hate evil, I believe that refers to evil in any form, not just that which we might be embarrassed for our friends to see us entering into;
2. God is our Protector and Rescuer – I love those movies where the super cops swoop in and rescues the good people caught under protest by the evil thuds! This is kind ‘a what I think of in this teaching by the Psalmist. I can only imagine a loving Father looking in on a situation where one of His children are being taken advantage of, abused, mistreated, cheated, or harmed by an evil man/woman. I could easily see God becoming a lot more protective than the most loving dad would do if he saw someone about to mistreat his daughter;
3. Our reward for living righteously – Light shines on the godly and joy is awarded in their hearts! Do you suppose that ‘light’ might be the light of the SON? Darkness brings despair and disappointment. Light brings joy, peace and everlasting hope. Our everlasting hope is in knowing that because of our relationship with the Lord Jesus, we will one day be with Him and the Father in heaven for all of eternity! Glory be to God forever and forever!
4. Our expectation in return – Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Let’s stop burying ourselves in disappointment like those without hope. Instead, let’s learn to praise God above all the heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God rewards those who accept Him and are faithful in following His example and His teachings. Like our Father, God, let’s determine in ourselves to always hate evil.

PRAYER: Lord You are so good to us. From creation, to salvation, to eternal life with You and the Father in heaven, believers are blessed beyond our wildest imagination as to everything You have in store for us! Thank You loving Savior for watching over, protecting and keeping us until You return to take us home to glory. Please speak intently to the hearts of those who have shown no interest in knowing or accepting their Lord and Savior. May today be the day that they will hear Your voice and harken to Your call. Be glorified in everything accomplished by Your children today. May we always hate evil and promote our righteous Savior. 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 Uses Us To Tell Others About Him

On 2022-07-172022-07-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Evangelize, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-07-17
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
TRANSLATION: The Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴But thanks be to God! For through what Christ has done, he has triumphed over us so that now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Gospel like a sweet perfume. ¹⁵As far as God is concerned there is a sweet, wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within us, an aroma to both the saved and the unsaved all around us. ¹⁶To those who are not being saved, we seem a fearful smell of death and doom, while to those who know Christ we are a life-giving perfume.…

APPLICATION: At a party, men may try to connect with ladies not wearing a wedding band, or who may not be with their husbands. In others words, they look for obvious signs to determine their availability. Yesterday I walked into a pharmacy – it was clean, well staffed, had Christian music piping over its house speakers, had signs of being closed on Sunday and although there was no aroma to smell, yet my spirit detected an aroma of Jesus Christ. When we walk into a room of people that we may not know, they tend to look, smell, listen and feel for the aroma we exude. Sometimes they detect pride, bashfulness, prejudice and perhaps, bitterness. And often these conclusions are met because of things we do, say, pretend or portray. But how would they detect the character and likeness of Jesus in us? Friends, there are some who meditate on the Word of God, and they know about the heart and character of God. But there are others who have in their minds what they think Jesus and/or His representatives should look and act like. The latter will quickly judge us and place us in a virtual box they created. I believe that Paul is teaching us to stop pretending. If Jesus is inside of us, He will shine through in every word we say, in every helpful and unselfish deed we perform, in our warm and friendly smile, and in our unashamed glorification of our Master. To say it in yet another form, it will be evident that Jesus is at work in us and not we ourselves spending every effort to promote self. In verse 17 Paul went on to ask who might fit the qualification, or character, of Jesus? I can only believe that this is something that each of us must answer individually. May God create a humbleness in us that will seek to overstep our selfish desires and instead promote the love, sacrifice and God-like character of our Savior and Lord. No matter how much we try to preach, teach or evangelize the goodness of God, our lifestyle, character and words will always override in the mind of the unsaved we are trying to witness to.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our love, character and words that exemplify our Master, will be a sweet aroma to those searching for Jesus!

PRAYER: What an honor to have You live in, and bless us, each and every day, precious Lord! So undeserving, yet You opened our eyes and allowed us to see Your sacrifice and experience Your love. Thank You dear Lord for loving us and treating us as our very own child. May it be obvious to those that we mingle with that Jesus is present, because of Your amazing gift of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. Oh Lord, may the words from my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, and may I be a living witness to the lost and unsaved. Be glorified in me today dear Lord, and also in the lives of those I will interface with. May the lost see life – eternal through their experience with believers today, and may You be glorified. AMEN!

What or Who Are You Trusting In

On 2022-07-162022-07-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, Trust, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-07-16
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 10:17; 24-25;
TRANSLATION: The Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁷As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running to him and knelt down and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get to heaven?”
²⁴This amazed them. So Jesus said it again: “Dear children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God. ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

APPLICATION: It’s interesting to notice how certain things, and certain lifestyles might be considered acceptable by us and how we may even see open doors for acceptance into heaven. For us, it may not necessarily be riches that we may have placed our faith in, although many consider that as an open door for gaining access to any person. But we may feel like our position in church, or our giving to the church, may gain us access into heaven, as God may seek to reward us for our good works and giving spirit. It could be that our willingness to accept everyone at face value and not judge them for actions that are opposed to our personal beliefs and values in life; or our commitment to avoid cursing; drinking; or doing drugs; that may force us to feel safe and accepted by God. But friends, if it was as easy to enter heaven’s portals as our earthly minds would lead us to think, why do you suppose God saw the need to send His only Son into the world and contend with all the evil and sinful acts that we are well aware of? Why would God have seen the necessity to sorrowfully permit His Son to be beaten, abused, cursed, and hung on a cross, for the redemption of our sin? Are you naïve enough to believe that God went through all of the above to simply offer a suggestion to men who couldn’t find their own way into heaven? The rich young ruler probably had everything he needed to get into every place on earth; mix with everyone, no matter what their position was on earth; associate with the richest of men or the poorest and most unfortunate on earth; but his eyes were opened to the fact that there was nothing in his arsenal of assets that would get him into heaven or live eternally with the King of all kings. Jesus’ instruction to the young man is something that applies to everyone in search of eternity in heaven, or the endless joy and happiness of being in the presence of the Creator for ever and ever: “redirect your trust”. You obviously know that monetary; nor youthfulness; nor earthly leadership; nor even obeying the commandments will get you into heaven. There is only one way, and it is spelled out by Jesus in John 3:16 – ‘Whoever believes in Jesus – will be saved and receive eternal life’. Notice that ‘Whoever’ clears it all up on who qualifies to believe in Jesus: Rich or poor; Young or old; world leader or slave; church leader or new member; living in a palace or a hut; Baptists of Methodists. Friends, I believe you will see from the aforementioned that because God made us all, He also accepts all who will place their trust in Him. No respecter of persons. If you are ready and willing to accept Jesus as Lord today, let me encourage you to view my Footnote and dive in to the Biblical references available when you click ‘To Know Jesus’. Speak with a Bible teaching pastor, or believer today and allow them to lead you, walk with you and encourage you on this new walk of life!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved from their sin, and look forward to eternity in Heaven!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for making salvation available to ALL, and thank You for guiding the rich, young, ruler from our Bible story today into a walk that led to Eternity in heaven. Lord, I pray that this devotional and Bible lesson will catch the attention of many who are yet to be saved. Please soften their hearts and show them Jesus, the One who died and rose again for the salvation of their sin. Convince them of their need for Jesus and give them the strength and boldness to make this important step in their life today. Be glorified because of sinners being saved through Your grace and because of Your sacrifice. AMEN!

What Happens When God Calls You?

On 2022-07-152022-07-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-07-15
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 3:1-5
TRANSLATION: The Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹ Meanwhile little Samuel was helping the Lord by assisting Eli. Messages from the Lord were very rare in those days, ^2-3but one night after Eli had gone to bed (he was almost blind with age by now), and Samuel was sleeping in the Temple near the Ark, ^4-5the Lord called out, “Samuel! Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He jumped up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. What do you want?” he asked. “I didn’t call you,” Eli said. “Go on back to bed.” So he did.

APPLICATION: We often hear that familiarity breeds contempt! In other words, it’s not until our spouse takes a trip without you, that you truly miss her company, her jokes, her cooking and of course, her love. When our daughter was young, she spent a weekend at a friends house. She returned home with a deep appreciation for our humble abode, and she immediately started cleaning up her room, because she realized how uncomfortable she was in an undesirable environment. But let’s examine the life of a Christian? Immediately after salvation, we are fired up and ready to save the world, but as time goes on, and as we are tempered by other ‘Christians’, we tend to be less consumed in our walk with the Lord. This is unfortunate, because if Christians do what, I believe God intends for Christians to do, then we would allow God to change our daily lifestyle. Dear friends, it is through the study of God’s Word that we learn His will for us; we learn to adopt His character; adhere to His teachings; and take particular note of what He is saying to us that day. It is through prayer that we get to speak with God, and as we pause to listen to Him, He speaks very boldly into our minds. It is through visiting the sick and shut-ins that God helps us to appreciate His rich blessings to us, while helping us to comfort our family member or friend that we are visiting. Of course we feel inadequate, and we might even feel sorry for what the individual is going through, but when we go in Jesus’ name, we are merely the messenger and encourager who delivers the hope of our wonderful Lord! In all these things, I believe we will subtly realize that this life is very temporary, and unless we and our family/friends have a brighter future to look forward to with the King of all kings, and Lord of all lords, then our time on earth may have been in vain. However, in doing these things, we find reason to exist and we remain in touch with our Master and Lord. We place our minds in a position where we are ready to hear from God and obey His every command. Samuel is an awesome example of this, for he was dedicated to the Lord’s work at a very young age. He could have rebelled, like many kids do today, but instead he prepared himself for a close relationship with God – one that would help him to hear the voice of God when He called out to him – albeit just as young lad with almost no experience. God could have chosen an older man, but what He had in store for Samuel, was suited especially for Samuel. That’s the way it is for you and I. We must never sit on the sidelines and wait for God to speak to our pastor, or our elders, or to our Sunday School Teacher. God’s message for us will be totally unique, compared to what He may ask of them. Friends, let’s just be like Samuel in realizing that, if God calls us to something, He will guide and help us through it, for His glory alone. Remember, we are the servant, and He is the Master!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God calls us to His service without consideration of our abilities, or age, or position in the church. We are His servants and we are expected to obey our Master’s commands!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for entrusting young Samuel with the awesome task of relaying Your message to a seasoned veteran like Eli. We stand at Your feet each day awaiting Your commands for us. Please help us to never complain about our inabilities, but always rejoice in the abilities of our Master who gives us our instructions. I believe that the world is looking for Jesus in action, so please Lord, help us to always be obedient to Your call and to always allow You the proper permission to work through us each and every day. Lord, be glorified in and through Your servant today! AMEN!

It Depends On What The Lord Says

On 2022-07-142022-07-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Listen, Listen to the Word of God, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-07-14
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Deuteronomy 8:2-3
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²And you must remember the entire trip that the Lord your God has led you through these 40 years in the desert. He was testing you. He wanted to make you humble. He wanted to know what is in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands. ³He humbled you and let you be hungry. Then he fed you with manna—something you did not know about before. It was something your ancestors had never seen. Why did the Lord do this? Because he wanted you to know that it is not just bread that keeps people alive. People’s lives depend on what the Lord says.

APPLICATION: Surely you’re no different to me, in that you hated to hear your mom and/or dad say how it pained them to discipline you! For we always thought ‘then why do it?’!! As adults we now know that to discipline shows love, caring and concern for the individual you are disciplining. The easy thing to do, is to ignore the issue and hope that things will get better. But to care enough about the individual to correct them and possibly discipline them, shows that you love them enough to want them to succeed in life, and to be the best individual they could possibly be. When disciplined at home, it becomes easier for our children to respect and understand the need for discipline by an employer. None of us like to be disciplined, but let’s look at why God thought it was necessary for the Israelites. As His chosen people, God couldn’t stand it that they were being mistreated in Egypt, so in cooperation with their leaders, God decided to get them out of there and into a chosen place that He had prepared for them. Because of their ungratefulness and disrespect during their journey, God disciplined His children in a few serious ways – food, water, obstacles in the path they traveled, etc. And time and time again, God showed love and deliverance for His people. In our verses today, the Israelites are being reminded of what they should have gained from those challenging times of discipline. And I believe that God wants to use these words to remind us of the same thing today. Like the Israelites, we are a spoiled and rotten people. We want, we want, and we want, but oh how seldom do we ever stop to recognize all that God has provided, and how He has taught us along this path called ‘life’. Do we have time to visit the sick or help the poor, or are we too busy tending shop? In other words, are we so caught up in the many material things of life, that we have no time, love, or respect for God, to seek out the needs of others? God disciplined the Israelites because He wanted them to know that there were more important things in life than their stomachs, their material things, and their selfish desires. He wanted them to see, and I believe that He wants us to also learn, that it is the very words of God that teaches us about LIFE, and not at all about what we have, what we see, or what we want. So what’s important in this life to you my friend? Would it require a good dose of discipline by the Almighty God to help us refocus on the really important things in this life? The importance of hearing, obeying and doing the things commanded by God is not just mentioned on verse 3 of our Scripture today, but was also reemphasized in Matthew 4:4 when Jesus responded to Satan. Perhaps God still says to us today that it doesn’t matter that much what we want, or how badly we think we need something, learn to listen, trust and obey His words, for in them we will be reminded that they are ‘food’ for our soul and strength for our tomorrows!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: It is not just bread that keeps people alive. People’s lives depend on what the Lord says

PRAYER: Thank You precious Lord for the many gifts that You shower on us each and every day. Thank You for those times that You stop us in our tracks and, through loving discipline, You redirect us to the ways, and things of Christ. May we have that same kind of love for our brethren, for there are so many in need all around us today. We are often so caught up in protecting all that we have gained, that often we lose track of praise, honor and glory that is so deserving of the One who has blessed us. Thank You dear Lord. Please touch our hearts today. Draw us close to You and help us to use all that You have blessed us with, to bless others in return. Being reminded of the importance of Your words, Lord may we learn to listen, obey and apply Your Word to all aspects of our life. AMEN!

Sing A New Song! Rejoice In The Lord!

On 2022-07-132022-07-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-07-13
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 96:1-6
TRANSLATION: The Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing it everywhere around the world! ²Sing out his praises! Bless his name. Each day tell someone that He saves. ³Publish His glorious acts throughout the earth. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does. ⁴For the Lord is great beyond description and greatly to be praised. Worship only Him among the gods! ⁵For the gods of other nations are merely idols, but our God made the heavens! ⁶Honor and majesty surround Him; strength and beauty are in His Temple.

APPLICATION: Let’s think for a moment about the reasons we find to celebrate certain events with our family a friends: 1) Our child is born; 2) Our child graduates high school; 3) Our child graduates college; 4) Our child’s engagement party; 5) Our child’s wedding shower; 6) Our child’s wedding; 7) Our child’s baby shower; 8) Birthdays for ourselves and our family; 9) Our wedding anniversary; 10) Christmas party; etc, etc. I believe you can see that you must always be ready for a celebration of some sort, especially with a few family members and a few friends! Just as in each of the above instances where our meetings are new, fresh, and exciting, the Psalmist is teaching us that our God deserves an even greater preparation for praise when we plan to meet and celebrate His goodness towards us. It hurts me when we meet together with fellow believers and it’s like pulling teeth to really get a reason for praise and/or thanksgiving from each member. Friends, please allow me to challenge you to always have your praises for our God available right at the tip of your tongue. Encourage others by sharing those experiences, and always be ready to praise, bless, and thank God each and every day. Always be ready to praise Him in the church for His gracious love and miracles in your life. Remember, when a child of God asks for God’s blessings, and we see His blessings unfold, never think about calling it ‘good luck’ as the world might do, but instead shower God with your praises and thanksgiving for His answered prayers. It’s OK to pray one for another, but when asked to participate in praise and thanksgiving, it’s time to celebrate your personal blessings. I remember someone opening the door for me at my workplace on a Monday morning as I arrived for work. As in all courtesy greetings, I asked how the individual was doing. They said ‘I’m good, but I can tell from the smile on your face, that you must have enjoyed a great weekend?’ I shared a few reasons why I felt so blessed at that very moment, and they soon shut me down! Let’s learn to show off our wonderful Jesus who blesses us with way more than we deserve or expect. It’s a ‘new song’ for us, for we were blessed beyond measure yesterday, and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for us today! As for the ‘earthly praise’ spoken of by the Psalmist, let’s get over ourselves in thinking that our beliefs are the only right interpretation of the Bible, and our church is the best and only church for us, and we won’t be tainted by mixing with other ‘Christians’. God sees only His children and we are all at the one level in His eyes. When we bow at His feet in heaven, there will be no segregation, just redeemed children of God. Let’s practice on that while we are here on earth!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Shout it from the rooftops – the goodness of God and the many answers to prayer that has been our portion. In being quiet, other believers might think that we either don’t know the same Lord as they do, or we are totally out of tune with Him. Jesus lives, reigns and blesses me each and every day, and I’m sure He also does the same for each believer who looks for His blessings and praises Him each day for His almighty hand at work!

PRAYER: Blessings and honor and praise belong to You, oh Lord, for You have been so good to me! Please Lord, instill an attitude of praise into the hearts of each born again child of God, so that we will always praise You and honor Your most powerful name. Forgive us Lord when we whine because our prayers are not answered how we dictate. We should actually praise You in these instances, for You found ways to bless us even more than we could have imagined or asked for! What an awesome and powerful God You are, and we are most appreciative for You loving and blessing even us. May we learn to look for, expect, and rejoice in Your blessings each and every day. May we not only share our praises with the church, but also with those who look on and still question Your authority and Your power. Blessing us should result in blessings to those in our circle of family and friends, so that they too might desire relationship with You. For the unsaved reading this devotional, please enlarge their minds to believe in Your miracle-working blessings to Your children and also have a deep desire to know You personally. We will be careful to praise Your all powerful name, oh Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer! AMEN!

The Persecutors

On 2022-07-122022-07-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Persecution, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-07-12
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Acts 26:10–11; 13–14
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 10 ….. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.
13 …. as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’

APPLICATION: In some translations, the word ‘persecute’ is used several times in the few verses referenced. The word ‘persecutor’ means: “one who treats (someone) cruelly or unfairly especially because of race or religious or political beliefs”. I feel like God opened my eyes and reminded me that when we treat God’s messengers with contempt, then we are actually persecuting the Lord Jesus himself. This reminds me of a loving parent who feels condemned when their child is persecuted or ill-treated. So what is our lesson in this? After all, we don’t go about ‘persecuting’ our religious leaders… Or do we? How often do you see groups gathered in a corner in discussion over the questionable sermon they just heard, or the dress code of the pastor, or the attitude of the worship leader, or the audacity of the pastor to say what he did during his sermon? Surely this is not complimentary of God’s messenger, is it? Is that the precursor to a time of prayer that the group will have for their pastor? I’ve always said that one will get as much from a sermon, as they have prayed into it. Do you feel like we tend to persecute the pastor because God didn’t respond like we expected from our prayers for His messenger who stood in the pulpit? Friends, over in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God said that if we would humble ourselves and pray (not belittle or try to humble the pastor), and if we would seek His face, and if we would turn from our wicked ways, then He would hear from heaven, forgive our sins and restore our land. Notice the personal application there? Nothing about God taking care of all that we feel are inadequate, or the one who seems to have hi sown agenda and will not listen to our demands. Friends, I believe that these scriptures are a warning to us who have a full-time job personally doing all that God expects of us. So where do you suppose that we find a command, or order from God to ‘persecuting’ anyone? When we do, we are meddling in the powerful work of God through His earthly servants/messengers. Perhaps there is a great need for us to go back to the basics of what God demands of us individually. Anything outside of that places us squarely at the feet of Jesus in need of His forgiveness, and with no time to be critical of anyone else. Please don’t shrug this off as being super applicable to all of your friends – those ‘persecutors’. Allow God to search your heart and convict you of your sin and shortcomings. I believe you will find that there’s plenty enough to keep you on your knees for a very long time, including, praying for your spiritual leaders. In doing this, there just won’t be time enough to persecute others.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You created all things and You are above all things. Thank You for sending messengers, Your angels, to minister to folk like me, even though we tend to persecute the very ones that You sent to bless us, love on us and warn us about our sinful ways. Please help us to love these dear ones, in spite of them not meeting all of our expectations, and in spite of our sinful desire to persecute them. I believe it is obvious that Saul was not the only one that persecuted Christians. In spite of Saul’s evil ways, You had an awesome work for him to do under his new name, Paul. No doubt, You have so much to accomplish through us as well, so please rest Your hand upon Your children today, beginning with me, and help us to accept Your power and Your desire to use even us in Your service to win the lost. We are your messengers as well, please encourage us to treat other messengers in the same way that we want to be treated. May Your kingdom come oh Lord, and may we be ready and obedient in every way, every day! AMEN!

Reassuring Trust In Church Leaders

On 2022-07-112022-07-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Church, Church Leaders, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-07-11
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 1:12-13; 17-19;
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹²We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. ¹³Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us.
¹⁷…. Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? ¹⁸As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.”….

APPLICATION: The church that is considered ‘perfect’ in the eyes of its membership, is probably most successful when it keeps the struggles that embattle their leadership, behind the scenes. After all, church leadership is made up of human men and/or women. In many cases, church leadership is made up of the same men and women who are challenged with their kids, struggle in their marriages, and possibly written up for various reasons at work. Having been there and done that, I was stricken by the Holy Spirit to carefully read what Paul, a notable saint of God, shared with one of his churches. Let’s take a deep dive into the words of Paul, which we know were inspired by the Holy Spirit, for his words to be included in God’s book of Instruction to us:
~ A God-given holiness and sincerity in all dealings (vs 12) – Because we deal with mere humans in church leadership, we can understand why this may be hard for parishioners to believe. After all, we insist on audits of church financial records, because of the horror stories of theft at some churches. We insist on a buddy system for counseling, because we have heard horror stories of misappropriation between counselors and counselees. BUT I believe that Paul wanted his church to know that he is aiming for perfection as he follows the teachings of Jesus Christ. He therefore shared with the church the principles that he had chosen to live by, with God’s help. I pray that each leader will strive to live as Paul taught, and that each reader will find men and women of God-like character in their church leadership;
~ Depending on God’s grace and not on human wisdom (vs 12) – In each of us, I believe that we are so tainted by the world, that it is always challenging for others to see the grace of God at work in us. We will always try to clarify the process by which we have made decisions regarding the church. However, when we depend on God, it is easy to explain how He guided us through His Word and through His almighty power to the decision He wants made for His church. Which do you see most often by your church leadership;
~ Straightforward letters (vs 13) – There are times when we need an attorney to review certain documents, because we want to make sure that there are no hidden agendas included between the lines. It is interesting, but also conniving how we could place our words just right in a document that leaves the interpretation totally up to the recipient! Paul assured his church that this was not his style of writing. Do you feel the same way about correspondence from your church leadership?
– Let you “Yes” be yes, and your “No” be no (vs 17) – If asked a pointed question, will it depend on the response from the others as to how you might respond? If your church leadership is prayed up and honest in God’s sight, each of them will know how God wants them to individually respond, regardless of what the others might say.
Friends, in all honesty, church leadership is a very challenging thing. Because leaders must learn to put aside personal agendas and wait for the Lord to impress upon them what He wants. Let me encourage every reader and listener to pray diligently for your church leaders. Pray that they will learn to empty themselves of selfish pride and personal agendas, and wait on the Lord for His direction in His church.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Imitate Jesus in our lives and our dealings with others, so that God may bless our efforts and our dealings with others.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You were perfect in the sight of Your Father, yet You were criticized, judged and rejected by mankind. I should expect no less, but please direct my path and keep me on the straight and narrow path so that I may be pleasing to my all-knowing God. Please Lord, give wisdom to our church leaders and guide them in the very critical matters they govern. Trying to gently deal with mankind, while staying true to our perfect God is extremely challenging. Please Lord, always give contentment to our church leaders who strive to always please You, and intervene on their behalf as their church members seek to trust and obey their decisions. You alone are our ultimate Judge, so I pray that we would always strive to please You in all that we do and say. Please remove the desire to please mankind, less our churches become more like the world than their God they were designed to honor and obey. May we always be pleasing in your sight so that You may accomplish Your work through us and our churches. AMEN!

Come, Let Us Worship

On 2022-07-102022-07-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-07-10
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 95:6-8
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁶O come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker [in reverent praise and prayer]. ⁷For He is our God and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice, ⁸Do not harden your hearts and become spiritually dull….

APPLICATION: Praise God, many churches will fill up today, because of the determination of faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Some attendees will attend out of natural habit that was instilled into them from a very early age, while some might explode emotionally if they don’t enter into His gates with praise and wonder after their God-encounters and experiences of the week. However, some may not have appreciated the little attention received from the pastor last week, nor the absence of the Elders who chose not to visit their loved one in hospital during the week. While the Psalmist seem to reflect a man whose heart was constantly immersed in praises to his King, we all know that David dealt with many personal issues and challenges. However, I tend to always walk away from meditating on the Psalms with a sense of awe and worship to my maker. Perhaps this particular Psalm helps us to understand the heart of David towards the subject of, and reason for, praise, worship and prayer. As promised in my introduction, I will expand on a few aspects of this Psalm:
1). How we should worship – Bow down and kneel before the Lord, our Maker. I know, you are worried what the other attendees might say if they saw you doing this, right? But wait, did you say you were going to church to please the other attendees, or to worship your loving and almighty God? Interesting how we let our pride dictate how we worship our very designer and maker, isn’t it?
2). The reasons we worship – With thankful hearts to the God who created us, and who guides us through every circumstance of life – just like a shepherd leads his sheep. When we realize the key role that God plays in our life and how dependent we are for His goodness, mercy and guidance, we will desire to worship Him whole heartedly;
3) Who we should worship – We tend to worship the person, or thing, that means the most to us. Please allow today’s Scripture to provoke your very thoughts about who, or what, this might be, and worship it/him/her with all your heart today. I pray that your heart will be directed towards the One who created You and watches over you each day as He prepares you for your eternal home;
4). What happens when you don’t worship God – Your heart will become spiritually dull. You will then follow the ways of this world and you will attempt to depend on everything or everyone other than God. Think about where this will get you when your heart is broken; when your loved one lies helpless in a hospital bed; when you lose your job and worry about where your next dollar will come from; what happens to your loved one or yourself after this life? etc, etc.
As you meditate on these truths today, may your heart be overwhelmed by the goodness of our God, and may you yearn for more of His goodness, for I am convinced that God responds to our offer of praise and worship from a heart that is right with Him.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Shepherd, my Guide and my Savior. Please speak intently to the hearts of Your children today. May they willingly seek to worship You from blessed and thankful hearts!

PRAYER: To God be the glory, great things You have done! Thank You for Your gratefulness oh God! Even as we lift up our hands in worship and adoration, may You bless and encourage each worshipper today. Speak to the hearts of those who will attend out of habit and are challenged to feel any relational reason to worship You today. Remind them that You’ve been there all along, and that they should draw near to You, even as You are as near as the very skin on their faces. Lord, we worship and honor You today. Please accept our humble worship and bless us for Your kingdom’s sake. AMEN!

Trust God, Especially When ‘Death’ Seems Imminent

On 2022-07-092022-07-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Death, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-07-09
WRITTEN AT: O Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 1:8-10
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁸ My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain. ⁹In fact, we felt sure we were going to die. But this made us stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting God, who raises the dead to life. ¹⁰God saved us from the threat of death, and we are sure that he will do it again and again.

APPLICATION: Random shootings occur because of the sting of one finding themselves out of a job, and the hopelessness of how their family will survive the new financial woes. Homes are destroyed because of broken marriages, and often partners will resort to criminal acts against each other in the name of revenge. The onset of Covid, cancer, or any other deadly disease may stretch the imagination of individuals and cause them to try very extreme actions as they fight for earthly ways to save their opportunity for continued life as they once knew it. So what does the Christian do in this regard that’s any different to what the unbeliever might do? Let’s believe that God will reveal great truths though His Word that helps direct us in our times of desperation. We will see that in Paul’s scenario, they quickly ran out of personal options and ran to God – the same God who opened the eyes of Saul who once persecuted Christians and the work of Jesus Christ. As a changed man, Paul, as he was later known, had witnessed miracle upon miracle. He had seen the awesome handiwork of God who rescued His people from imminent death and from obvious dire situations. Paul quickly realized that this new danger they faced was much more than he and his men could do anything about. As a man of God, I can only say that for the point at which Paul found himself, he knew that God was showing him that there was only one way out of this, and it was not for Paul to think of more earthly weaponry to use against his enemy. I have often heard the old adage that desperate people will often avoid looking up and calling on God, until they are flat on their back and have no other choice but to ‘look up’! Paul had seen the powerful works of the God he served, and although he couldn’t see any humanly way to fight the enemy in his current situation, he knew a God who could. I looked at many Bible translations and one thing that read the same across the board was ‘this made us stop trusting ourselves and start trusting in Almighty God’! Friends, so many of us have heard of too many family and friends who have lost their fight to Covid, cancer or heart attack over recent months and years. Are you at the point yet where Paul found himself in our text today? Have your surrendered your all to Almighty God and called on Him in desperation to protect you and your family, and to recuse you from the evil forces that surround you in all of this earthly violence in our world, for there is so little respect for life itself? Perhaps death seems imminent for you in one of the other scenarios mentioned above. Please don’t wait to see if this will affect you, just know that it will. Trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Do not lean on the enemies ‘wait and see’ option, for your circumstances might very well be way beyond your ability to overcome. Never think that you will have time later to start seeking God, for no man knows the day or the hour when our Lord will return to take His saints home to glory! Trust God today, even while things appear ‘peachy’! Notice that in times of war people will turn to the world’s super-powers for help. In the case of Covid, this philosophy didn’t work, because the whole world was in a dilemma for a resolution. Hopefully God got our attention and made us realize that He alone holds the keys to life and death. He was the only One for our family and friends to turn to in their desperation. Forget about self, and start trusting God today, dear one.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Praise God, I know this Jesus that Paul decided to trust in when he realized the hopelessness of trusting himself for answers to his dilemma! We must still learn to call on God today, for He alone can fight off the vices of Satan and his army of evildoers.

PRAYER: ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word. Oh for grace to trust Him more’! Lord Jesus, You know Your children better than anyone knows. No doubt You see us in our daily struggles and it makes You want to stretch out Your hand and guide us through life’s temptation, struggles, trials and dangers. Please help us to acknowledge our weaknesses and inabilities, and to often be reminded of Your awesome power, strength and power. Please Lord, be our God today in all of life’s situations and in every walk of life that seem so impossible to us. You are our Rock and our eternal salvation! In You alone I place my faith and trust oh Lord. Please help each reader and listener to catch a new glimpse of this, and to sooner do what Paul did – forget about self abilities, and trust God in everything instead! AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: King of kings