Tag: King

Hearts Filled With The Word of God will Speak and Act Like Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, Heart, Know God's HeartLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Make every effort to fill yourself with the Word of God, so that your words and actions will exemplify Jesus to a lost world. They don’t need another pretender. May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 7:39-40
Today’s Bible Text: 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation

My Take Away: At one time in the past I heard someone say that they were talking to themselves, because they needed someone intelligent to talk to!! I am one to ponder on things before I speak, so I may wind up similar to the Pharisee in this story, where I would rehearse things over in my head before speaking. However, I believe there were different reasons here, for Jesus found the need to address the situation with this individual. I’m sure that there are many of you, just like me, that often thank God for not having said all that ran through our heads while fellowshipping with some folk! However, I believe many of us live in regret for not having said some of the things that we thought during our interaction with others, because we may have been too timid. I want us to look at the scenario of where our sin and evil thoughts come from and how that impacts our interaction with others. I believe that way too often God may wish that we would be more like the drunk who is said to use his impaired mind to speak his heart! So how do we get in the gutter like this? Well, the Bible tells us repeatedly that we are to saturate our minds with the things of Christ. Will this come natural? It will, if we learn that our minds will be filed with what we fill our eyes and our ears with. If we feast on God’s Word, then our minds will be filled with God’s love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His goodness and His sacrificial attitude displayed one for another. Seldom will you find anything like this on the television, in the bars or at some of the parties you may be invited to. Friends, from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and I believe that it only speaks what has already been filtered by you for others to hear, as there is tons of ‘junk’ that you are still pondering on and not yet verbalized. Let’s understand from this scripture today that God knows all things, even the thoughts you have not verbalized yet, and He will address the reason for such evil thoughts, just as He challenged the Pharisee. Let’s seek His help today that our minds might be pure and innocent, filled with His teachings and commands and exampled after His goodness, God being our helper.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good, and You have set an example for us in Your Word that we could achieve, with Your help. We want to truly represent You here on earth, so we realize that we have a lot to clean up in our minds. Although unspoken, way too often our thoughts are obvious to our audience through our actions and tone of voice. We need Your help in not only being wise in our spoken words, but to also fill ourselves with the Word of God, so that we might exude the Mind of God in everything we say and do. Thank You for speaking to us through Your precious Word today. As we are filled, may we also reflect this in every way today with all that we come into contact with. Please touch Your children today, especially me, as we stand in need of prayer – personally. I ask these things believing, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to http://www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
2016

Give It Up, Friend!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evidence of Faith, Faith, Faith in Action, SurrenderLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 John 3:16-18

Today’s Bible Text: We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

The Bible Translation: New Living Translation

My Take Away: I’m sure that I am slower than most, therefore the reason that I overlooked exactly the point that God was trying to get across to us in this passage today! So I wanted to share with you how I feel like God revealed Himself to me, and the instructions He made clear to me. The first part of verse 16 is a given, in that we have always been taught that what Jesus did on the cross was not a win for the king and his people that ordered the crucifixion of our Lord, but Jesus went to the cross in total obedience to His Father, in total love for us. John 3:16 is probably the best known verse in the Bible, because it explains the love of Jesus in dying for every sinner, and the everlasting hope offered as a result of that sacrifice. Now, back to verses 17 & 18 of our highlighted verses today, we (Christ’s followers) are challenged to do the same thing for our fellow man. Go to the cross for another, you might ask? No, although we may not be forced to give up our life, we certainly might be called on to volunteer our time to help someone who is incapable of helping themselves. OR, someone that might be hungry when we have more than enough to sacrifice our next meal to give it to them. OR, perhaps another nation is unable or unwilling to fully care for their orphans, and even though we may not be able to feed them all for a week, perhaps we could join or support a local missions group who will go and work around the orphanage so that monies given to the orphanage can be used to better feed or clothe the orphans. OR, if called on to give financially to those in need, perhaps we can give of our excess, or sacrifice the money we would ordinarily spend on items we could easily do without. Think about it friend, when we consider our ‘life’ we generally consider all those things that make it worthwhile for us to get up each morning, or to keep on slaving away at work each day. How much of that are you willing to give up for the sake of a person in need? I believe we had best be very careful to not find excuses when God asks us to be His hands and His feet, and to minister in His name. Let us always remember that He gave it all so that we might have life eternally in heaven. Anything we are challenged with should be in the light of that sacrifice, and done with the love of that sacrifice. Only then will an unbeliever truly understand the love of our Savior that we might tell them about.

Prayer: Lord, please help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and not on our circumstances. Please help us to give, because You first sacrificed everything as You gave it all for us. Please help us to stop thinking so selfishly about the benefits of our greed and finding so many excuses about all that we could give to others, if only we would deal with our selfishness and give up the wants of self gratification. Forgive us Lord for being inconsiderate of the needs of others, especially while we gloat in the excess blessings that You have showered on us. Please teach us to follow Your ways, even when it causes us to sacrifice. Your love oh Lord, reaches to the heavens. May Your love be evident in everything we do or say, so that You may be glorified here on earth. I ask these things in the precious, holy, sacrificial name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, AMEN!

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

What If We Say Only What God Says

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Acknowledge God, Ask and Receive, Commanding Officer, Confidence, Dependence on God, Godly ConfidenceLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 11:13-14
Today’s Bible Text: Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.” But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what my God says.”
 The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe that much like our ‘worldly’ counterparts, Christians are often guilty of trying to be the popular one in a conversation, or a party, or a family, or among our friends. We all want to be thought highly of, and we would really like to be the popular one in the group. But let’s think that through for a moment. Did we commit our lives to God so that we could have one more on our side, or on our team? Do we need to have one more that we could tell what to do? Friends stop and think this through, did God need us when He created the earth, or the skies, or the heavens? What about when He created you and I, did He do all that alone – without us telling Him what to do or how to do it? I would dare say that I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ because I realized that I didn’t have all the answers; that I have no idea about what tomorrow will bring. I was convinced that Jesus was the answer to all of life’s questions, hopes and dreams. I knew there must be a God, but I also knew that He was far beyond anything I could imagine. I knew that I needed a Savior to fill the gap between myself and the Master, and praise God I found that to be the Lord Jesus Christ! So recognizing that this was a need, why on earth do I try so hard to still make decisions on my own and try to please my peers/friends? Can I possibly be a ‘Micaiah’? Friends, Micaiah’s bravery and determination to be God’s spokesman is a challenging thought for us, because as we can gleam from this story, he declared what God had revealed to him in a dream, even though it was the unpopular thing to do, and even though it led to his imprisonment, and not his place at the head of the king’s banquet table. So why is this important, you might ask. First of all, can you imagine the freedom this must have given Micaiah? He spoke exactly what he knew the Lord had given him to him say. No guilty conscience, but a freedom in knowing that the God of the universe was then controlling his mouth and his words. Can you remember taking a message to your young siblings and adding the words “hey, don’t look at me, that’s what daddy said. I’m just the messenger”!! What if we took that stance in all walks of our Christian life? But wait, that’s exactly what God expects of us. We surrender our lives to Him, because we trust Him to be totaly in charge of all aspects of our life. Are you ready to let Him do exactly that? Our stresses would be greatly reduced, and God will actually make a lot more difference in this world, if only mankind would step away and let Him be God!

Prayer: Oh Lord, may we do exactly what You taught us in and through Your Word today. Micaiah’s boldness proved to us that it is important that we allow You to perform Your mighty works without interference from us, and in spite of what might be the popular or even demanding thing to do. Lord, we mess up way too often and I believe that we stand in the way of Your perfect decisions and will, way too often. Please touch the lives of Your saints today and give us boldness to stand firm for what we believe, and confident in whom we believe. You are Lord of all – or really not Lord at all to those who doubt Your power and who run interference in all that You want to accomplish in and through Your people. Please forgive us Lord, and please redirect our thoughts to one of total dependence on You. I ask these things in the name of the one and only Savior of this world, Jesus, the Christ! AMEN! 

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

2016

Salvation, Contentment and Everlasting Life!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Love, SurrenderLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Text:
1 Timothy 6:7-10 – 7 We didn’t bring anything into this world, and we won’t take anything with us when we leave. 8 So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes. 9 People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. 10 The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain. (The Contemporary English Version).
Psalm 80:3 – Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. (New Living Translation).

My Take Away: In my New Testament reading today I felt compelled to ponder a while on the verses shared above from 1 Timothy 6. Then I was torn when I got to the Psalms and read the verse above, for the words in vs. 3 were  reemphasized/repeated in verse 7 and again in verse 19 of that Psalm. It then became clear that the Holy Spirit was actually guiding me to the answer to life’s dilemma that becomes man’s greatest frustration when he realizes that riches will not bring all of life’s answers and or happiness. You see, in the new testament verses, Paul was teaching Timothy to make sure that he really emphasized to the people that on the day they were born and on the day they die, their worldly worth is the same – nothing. So why make such a fuss over money during the short span in between the two events. In fact, in verse 10 Paul emphasizes that our love for money becomes so strong during our lifetimes, that it actually affects our walk, our relationships, and our ability to properly represent God. We often reflect on the simplicity of life in the days of our ancestors, and while they also had their own types of issues, we quickly discern that they had more time to fellowship with each other and show God’s love one for another. Friends, the real answer to our dilemma became evident in Psalm 80:3, for we desperately need to seek God’s face, allow His face to shine upon us, save us, and cause us to turn again to Himself. I believe it is only then that our minds will deflect the temptation to covet what our neighbor has, or to feel the need for more money in the bank as our only answer to survival now, and in the future. It’s all about God, friend! He was here from the beginning of our lives, He surrounded us with His love, protection and direction throughout our lives and He is available to lead us to our eternal home with Him, if we accept Him as Lord of our lives. There just is nothing more important than that friends! Look to my ‘Footnote’ for help on how to make this transition in your life, if you haven’t made a decision yet to accept Jesus as your Savior, for He is the answer to all of life’s questions and earthly challenges.

Prayer: Father God, You created this world, brought us into this world, provided for us and loved us beyond anything we could imagine, by sacrificing Your very own Son to die for us so that we might live in hope of one day returning to spend eternity with You in heaven. Please forgive us for the times we have really messed up and gone sideways on Your expectations of us. As the Psalmist penned in Psalm 80:3, please turn us again to Yourself and make your face to shine upon us again, so that we may be saved. Please reach into the hearts of the hardened ones that we know and love today. May they feel Your presence and be drawn to You with sincere and broken hearts. Thank You for loving us beyond anything we could imagine. May we surrender ourselves fully to You and love you with all the capacity that we could muster up, is my humble request today, AMEN!

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

2016

A Better World

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Do our part, Personal InvolvementLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Timothy 5:1-3
Today’s Bible Text: Don’t be harsh or impatient with an older man. Talk to him as you would your own father, and to the younger men as your brothers. Reverently honor an older woman as you would your mother, and the younger women as sisters. Take care of widows who are destitute.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I believe that most of us could chime in with ideas on what it would take to see ‘a better world’ for us to live in. In fact, there was a song named just that in earlier days as well! I believe if our country’s leaders needed to know how to best govern its people, they should just ask you and I and we will have a word or two for them! I’m sure that our pastors probably get an ‘ear full’ almost every day on how to best run the church, because from where we are sitting we could give vast knowledge and insight on the matter! Yet in reading this part of the scripture this morning, I believe that God is speaking very clearly to us in telling us how we could be a part of improving our world, just by doing what He expects of us. Think about this friends, God knew what Paul needed to pass on to Timothy to improve the situation in the areas that he would minister. God also knew that by including this in His Word, this would also give much needed direction to His children in 2016 who would be looking at life from a lens of hopelessness as we look at failing country leaders; churches that are closing because of lack of attendance and failing spiritual leaders; and families falling apart because of selfish individuals who insist on doing life ‘their way’. So God gave us some principles on how to treat each other – how to get along. Imagine for a moment if we were to:

  • Don’t be harsh, but talk to, and treat older men as our father
  • Don’t be harsh, but talk to, and treat younger men as our brothers
  • Reverently honor older women as our mother;
  • Reverently honor younger women as our sisters; and
  • Take care of widows who are without help (destitute).

Imagine us doing this both inside the church, and outside. In other words, with everyone that we come into contact with. I dare say that we would build a ‘Better World’ without ever feeling the urge to get politicians, pastors, or anyone else straight! The challenge is, that if this is to be – it’s up to you and me. There’s no one for us to blame or try to straighten out. Are you willing to look to God and ask for His strength and direction to do this today friend?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are beyond anything we could imagine, for You not only created us, but You have given us commands, rules and instructions by which to live in accordance with Your intended purpose. Thank You for directing me to another section of these directions this morning. These have already been tested by Timothy, so they are tried and proven! Please forgive us for our selfish attitudes and the ways that we try to manipulate life into our own broken, and often failed ways. We have strayed a long ways off the path You have intended for us and we so desperately need reminding of Your perfect will for our lives. Lord, may we personally be found faithful, is my humble plea to You today. For I ask these things in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

2016

Spiritual Fitness

On By Ed AlgreenIn Consistent, Spiritual Fitness1 Comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Timothy 4:6-10
Today’s Bible Text: You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I believe that a lot of money is spent on gym memberships, and a lot of time is well spent on physical fitness in order to keep our heart and muscles in great physical shape, due to the stationary, inactive lifestyles we have in our desk jobs or just the choices we make to watch TV or play on computer devices. So what if we did to our physical bodies what we do in our spiritual lives? You know, we may open our Bibles once a week when we attend church, or in some cases two or three times per year for special occasions. Do you suppose that we might see more physical deaths if we only exercised that infrequent? Do you suppose that this might be the reason we see so many spiritual ‘deaths’ in the church? If we only connect with the Master of this world on a very occasional basis, will that develop ‘relationship’ with Him? Physical exercise requires commitment to a designated time of fitness each day. It means sacrificing a warm bed for working out at the gym or jogging down a long, dark path, often until we feel like we are about to drop! It means ‘beating’ ourselves into submission, so that we can do it even when we don’t feel like it. Now, think about Spiritual fitness. Should it be any different? The results, or the outcome, is way more important, for it leads to an active, participating relationship with the King of this universe, One who sent His Son to die for us so that we might accept His sacrifice and therefore ultimately be with Him in glory one day. Physical fitness helps you condition your bodies to fight off diseases, have less pain and recover much faster from illnesses, and it may extend your life here on earth by a few years. Spiritual fitness opens the doors of heaven for you while here on earth and to life ever after with the Creator. It gives you hope, peace and love here on earth and rewards for eternity that are out of this world! Spiritual fitness is suitable for all walks of life, for those fit enough to do Physical fitness or not. Please don’t make excuses Brothers and Sisters. Seek to strengthen your spiritual lives so that you may be usable by God here on earth, until He is ready for you in Heaven. Each of us will face Him at Judgment Day, will you be prepared to smile and thank Him for allowing You to stay Spiritually Fit while here on earth? I hope there will be no regrets.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are such a blessed people, because of Your persistent love for us, and the way that You show that in so many ways to us daily. Please touch the lives of each one reading this devotional today with a desire to enhance our Spiritual fitness so that we might be drawn closer to You in every aspect of our lives. Others are watching to validate that we are who we say we are. May we be so engrossed in Your Word, and have such a determination to follow Your teachings, that the evidence might be obvious in all that we say or do while here on earth. We want them to see Jesus. May we be fit vessels that You can work through to reach those in our realm of influence dear Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

Think About All God Has Done

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, Prayer, Seek God's Face2 Comments

THE HOLY BIBLE – Psalm 77:11-12 (NLT) –  But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.  They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.  

THOUGHTS: In the verses leading up to verse 11, we read about all the questions David had for God. You know, much like the questions we have when we think that God is doing ‘His own thing’ and seems uninterested in what we are telling Him to do?  Oh you say that you would never do that? Friends I want to challenge you to think about how often we unconsciously do this every day. We ask God to clarify a decision we have already made for ourselves, and when God responds differently to what we expected, or demanded, we immediately think that God’s not there, or doesn’t care about you. Let’s not forget that for every yes/no question we ask, there is that choice in responding! Let me explain, way too often we go before God with a question, and because we have our minds made up with what the response must be, we tend to think that God didn’t hear us, or chose not to respond to our demands. Over time, I believe that we will realize that the greatest love that can be shown to us is for God to say ‘no’ when He knows full well that it is the best decision for our situation. I believe there are also times that we just can’t muster up the faith to ask God for help with our situations. David showed us that these are the times that we stop and reflect on the mercies of God and the proven power of God in our very own lives, so that we might gain strength in our weakness, and faith in our time of doubt and unbelief. Friends, we serve a GREAT BIG God, and until we stop to reflect on His awesomeness and our ‘littleness’ then we might be missing a lot of blessings. Please take time to reflect and praise God for His awesome power, then proceed in the confidence that swells up in you to place your needs (small and great) before the God of this universe! He’s my God, and I know that I can trust Him! I would challenge you to draw close to God so that He can show His power, grace and mercy as He draws close to you!

PRAYER: thank You Father for being my Creator, my Redeemer, my Savior and my King! I know that there is nothing unreadable or impossible for You. Thank You for hearing my heart’s cry when I call out to You. Please touch the heart of each person reading this devotional and cause us to draw closer to You in every aspect of our lives, so that our faith may increase and relationship with You become strong enough that we will trust You with every part of our life, and not just the portion that we feel inadequate in handling.  Thank You Father for handling life today – our lives with all of the complexities that we have added to them. In the name of Jesus, I ask these things oh Lord, AMEN!

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

Always Praising God

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

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

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

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

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

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

2016

God Wants You!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Salvation, SaviorLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Timothy 1:14-17
Today’s Bible Text: Oh, how kind our Lord was, for he showed me how to trust him and become full of the love of Christ Jesus. How true it is, and how I long that everyone should know it, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I was the greatest of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as an example to show everyone how patient he is with even the worst sinners, so that others will realize that they, too, can have everlasting life. Glory and honor to God forever and ever.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: We hear about lots of evil that impact so many today, and we wonder when will God come to take us out of this mess. However, seldom do we stop and study what took place in the days of Jesus, and how His believers were impacted back then. We admire Paul as such a valuable servant of God, for we read about his bold witnessing, his imprisonment for witnessing in places where it was prohibited, and many other attributes of this saint of old. We are also blessed by the many writings of Paul in the New Testament. However, in these verses we are looking at today, Paul is reflecting on where God truly brought him from. For God stopped this persecutor of Christians right in his track, convicted him of his wrong doing (his sin) and showed him that through the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, even he could be saved. I still hear people say today, what Paul must have thought and said back then, how could such an evil person as I (a sinner) stand a chance of being accepted by the pure and holy Son of God? Friends, I believe that God wanted me to share with you yet again today, that His Son was sacrificed on Calvary especially for those who question like this. For His sacrifice was made with full knowledge that we cannot save ourselves and, nothing, or no one else could stand in the gap for our sin, except the one true Savior, Jesus Christ. So there is no need to continue in sin dear friends. There just is no reason to continue carrying that load around any longer. Stop, drop and pray to the Father right now – right where you are at, admit your sin before Him, ask His forgiveness so that He could save you from your current path you are on to Hell. He WILL save you friend! Just imagine the thought of God sacrificing His only Son, and for us to reject that offer of love and continue on our journey to Hell. It must hurt our Father beyond anything we could imagine. He sent His Son so that all might be saved, so of course that includes you. Of course He desires a relationship with even you, for He loves you beyond anything words can describe, friend! Paul acknowledged that his changed life served as a witness to many others who needed Jesus. There may be others needing you to make your big step, to give them the boldness needed to move towards Jesus. Please don’t be a stumbling block for them.

Prayer: Thank You Father for loving us so much that You gave. It’s beyond me that You would give such a sacrifice for mere sinners – people You created to be like You, yet have chosen to do their own thing and live in total opposition to Your teachings, and Your will for their lives. Please forgive us Heavenly Father. Please forgive us for the lack of appreciation for the sacrifice You made Lord Jesus. Please soften the hearts of Your people today so that we might seek Your face, accept Your precious gift, and live according to Your will in full appreciation of all that You did for us. Lord, may this be a day of change for many, especially those who might stumble across this devotional today. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

A Prayer For Our Leader and People

On By Ed AlgreenIn King, Leader, Prayer, President, RighteousnessLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: Psalm 72:1-5
Today’s Bible Text: Teach the king to judge with your righteousness, O God; share with him your own justice, so that he will rule over your people with justice and govern the oppressed with righteousness. May the land enjoy prosperity; may it experience righteousness. May the king judge the poor fairly; may he help the needy
and defeat their oppressors. May your people worship you as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon gives light, for ages to come.
The Bible Translation: The Good News Translation (GNT)

My Take Away: With this being a year of election for my country to elect a new president, I believe that while we must be diligent to vote for the one God directs us to as our next leader, we must also be diligent to read God’s Word about what is expected of us (Christians) before, during and after our elections. For interspersed throughout God’s Word we are cautioned in each of these areas. In this scripture today, King David is praying for the Israelites’ new king, his son Solomon. I believe that if we take note of David’s prayer, and acknowledge that God had very good intentions and reasons for placing this prayer as part of His Word, and endeavor to pray similarly for our leader, then perhaps our people will humble themselves and pray, and seek God’s face. Watch how this prayer is all about our leader and us, being more like God and placing Him in His place over us. David prayed:

  • That the king would judge with ‘righteousness’;
  • That he would rule/govern with the same justice and ‘righteousness’ experienced from God, especially to the poor and oppressed;
  • That as a result of the above the people would enjoy prosperity and ‘righteousness’;
  • That the king would judge the poor fairly and be willing to stand up to the oppressors;
  • That the people would never fail to worship God today and all the days to come.

Friends, as children of God, I believe we are called to be living witnesses of what our God expects of us. I have just listed some ways that we are taught to pray for our leader and for our people. What do you suppose would happen to our country if Christians chose to pray like God expects of us, and to do it on a regular basis? Let’s remember this year that we are called to be Christ followers first. Let’s not get so carried away with worldly politics that the unsaved lose total recognition to whom we truly belong. The unsaved is looking for what God has done in our lives, not how little difference there is between us and the world. We are to be ‘light’ in this world of ‘darkness’. Please example, teach and preach the Word of God, even during a time when the world around us is so caught up in, what often turns out to be, the hatred and evil of politics. Please remember that God loves all of his children, not just us and our look-a-likes!

Prayer: Lord God, may Your people be Your faithful and true people even during a very passionate time of placing what we believe to be the right person in leadership over our country. May we be so faithful in prayer, trying to ensure that we hear your voice clearly, that we will not have time to step into the filth and ugliness of earthly politics. We are Your ambassadors looking to win as many to the kingdom as possible. May we not lose sight of that mission in things we say, write or portray, especially this year. You loved us in spite of our sin, may we in turn, show that same love to all Your children, by staying on mission for You, and not allowing the political views of the world around us to divide us from, or distract us in, our mission for You. I ask these things in love and because I want You to be foremost in our lives at all times, Lord Jesus, even during a year of elections. AMEN!

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

2016