Tag: Know God intimately

God’s Mercy in Challenging Times

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, SalvationLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Tuesday, June 18, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa at Hunter Road, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. For your meditation and reading pleasure, my Footnote will tell you how to find and read all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read Jeremiah 30:18-22 in your Bible or click on it to read it online in the Living Bible (TLB).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
As I worked through this chapter in Jeremiah, I couldn’t help but imagine how modern nations—and individual people—would react if they heard a message this confrontational straight from the Lord. Honestly, in many places I suspect crowds would riot or even go to war, even if the messenger made it crystal-clear, as Jeremiah did, that the warning came directly from God.

Yes, the tone is severe. Yet woven through the prophecy is God’s unmistakable mercy: He promises restoration for Israel after their brutal years in Babylon. It reminds me of how quickly people today turn away from God—how many friends or relatives refuse church because “God took their daughter,” or “He didn’t protect their son in combat,” or because they’ve been hurt by hypocritical Christians.

We were created to worship our magnificent God, but that calling is often the last thing on our minds. God’s design was for us to love Him, to walk with Him, to mirror His character. Instead, we bend Scripture to fit our own standards, and the result is everywhere: hatred, prejudice, corrupt lifestyles, and outright rejection of the One who formed us.

Picture a child defiantly dishonoring a devoted father—most of us would’ve faced a severe “trip to the woodshed” for that. Yet our heavenly Father, who sees every harsh, deceitful impulse in us, still chose to sacrifice His Son so we could be forgiven. His love never wavers!

But love doesn’t erase standards. Jesus declared, “Whoever believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 3:16). Genuine belief shows up as obedience—aligning our choices with His Word, following Christ’s example, letting Scripture separate right from wrong. Those who refuse that gift will not enter Heaven; hell is the only alternative.

God told Jeremiah He would punish everyone who harmed His people. I’m convinced He hasn’t changed. He still defends those who belong to Him and will deal with anyone who trips them up on their way to His Kingdom. So, dear reader, trust the Lord Jesus Christ and be rescued from judgment. Love Him, honor Him, obey Him—and urge others to do the same. The reward God has prepared is literally out of this world.

PRAYER
How wonderful it is to be loved by You, precious Lord! How awesome it is to read about Your passion towards Your created ones, yet You still saw fit to give us the choice of where we would spend eternity. Although this seems like an easy choice for everyone, yet we know that some live each day here on earth with a very stubborn and selfish streak that causes them to reject Jesus, our only Savior. Please Lord Jesus, have mercy on us and hear our cries as we petition You for our loved ones. Please help us to never settle for me, myself and I, but to always seek Your help to encourage those we love, to also love the God we love. I believe that it is clear to see the heart that You have for Your people, and how You will go to all extremes to protect, love and cherish us until the day You call us out of this sinful world. Knowing You, and enjoying that peace of our eternal destiny, helps us through each day. Thank You Jesus for loving me! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

The Mystery of Wisdom

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Wisdom, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, 2023-04-15
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverbs 2:1-5
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 My child, learn what I teach you and never forget what I tell you to do. 2 Listen to what is wise and try to understand it. 3 Yes, beg for knowledge; plead for insight. 4 Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure. 5 If you do, you will know what it means to fear the Lord and you will succeed in learning about God. 

OBSERVATION: It seems to me that the Creator of the universe is working though the wisest man on earth to help other individuals recognize that ‘if it’s to be, it is up to me’! In other words, we can find wisdom – if we desire it. We can know more about our Creator – if we desire it, put our desires into action, and pursue the necessary wisdom. Join me for the rest of this devotional as we try to discover how we could become wiser, and desirous of a deeper relationship with God.

APPLICATION: When we think of wisdom, or being wise, we may think of one’s level of education. But during my career I often joined with others in recognizing that the smartest person, scholastically, may not be the most practical person for the job, nor have the ability to show wisdom on the job. I love the description given by the dictionary for wise: ‘having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment’. I believe this is where the wisdom of an individual comes into practical use, no matter what type of job they are entrusted with. But how does one earn this wisdom? There is one Bible version that explains verse 3 as ‘crying after wisdom and crying for understanding’. We tend to do this when we are convinced that we must have something in order to move on in life. So in our desire to become wiser about God, His teachings, and His will for our lives, how might we achieve this, and what might we do to become wiser? Let’s take a minute to address the opposite. If a person did absolutely nothing, or if they settled for what they picked up naturally through interaction with other believers, do you foresee them becoming wiser about the things of God? Perhaps a little, but what they are really acknowledging is that they will only learn what falls into their lap. This may have some value if you go the extra mile to spend extra time with children of God willing to show their experience with God, share their knowledge of God, and uses all learned wisdom through good judgment calls. I believe that when one is crying out for wisdom, and they are in a Bible study, they will refuse to accept just the blunders of the teacher, but are instead, determined to understand and apply the Word of God in its simplest form. Attending church is an excellent way to worship God corporately, and to hear, understand and follow along with all the preacher is sharing with congregants. But what if you need clarification, or just need an additional example to help you better understand the Word of God and how you might apply it to your life? Some churches have ‘Sunday School’ while others have ‘Small Groups’. If your church is diligent about providing sound Biblical teaching to those interested in learning more of Jesus, then I would suspect that your knowledge of God will be expanded and you will be granted more opportunities to use your wisdom in helping another beggar find Jesus. If you don’t feel like you are receiving this at your church, then accept the invitation from friends to visit their small group. You can do this and still stay joined with your home church. Remember, in heaven there won’t be denominations, but simply ‘children of God’! As you become wiser about God’s Word, and you embed its truths into your life, then you might become like Solomon and share that wisdom with others who are crying out for wisdom. In Matthews 5:6 Jesus continued with the same teaching that we see in Proverbs: Jesus said it is when we hunger and thirst for righteousness that we are filled! And when we cry for understanding that it will be found!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Those who cry out for wisdom and follow the teachings of the Almighty will understand what it means to respect and to know the Lord God!

PRAYER: Lord, I believe that You have built into the heart of mankind to always search after knowing You better and in a more fulfilling way. Those with varying degrees of education could do this, as well as those with just minimal education. You created us all, and I am thankful that each of us can seek to know our Master personally and become wise in sharing our experience with others. Please forgive us Lord when we allow Satan to distract us and we grow weary in seeking more understanding of You and Your Word. Please Lord, strengthen our determination to know You better and to learn all we can about Your Word and its intent for us. We love You Lord and seek to know you better with each and every passing day. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog 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!