Tag: miracle

Jesus Cares For You

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2023-01-03
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 7:12-14
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 12As he approached the village, he met a multitude of people in a funeral procession, who were mourning as they carried the body of a young man to the cemetery. The boy was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. 13When the Lord saw the grieving mother, his heart broke for her.  With great tenderness he said to her, “Please don’t cry.” 14Then he stepped up to the coffin and touched it. When the pallbearers came to a halt, Jesus spoke directly to the corpse, “Young man, I say to you, arise and live!”

APPLICATION: Research shows that Jesus, and the crowd following Him, went out of their way by 25 miles for Him to be available for this poor widow in her time of loss. That tells me that the Father had a very important appointment for His Son, Jesus. In our minds, I believe I can safely say that we would do anything to avoid a detour of 25 miles by automobile today. For as little walking as many do today, I believe we would squirm if we were asked to go an extra city block to get to our destination! So, imagine walking an extra 25 miles, and then to meet up with a funeral procession. But, I don’t believe there was any coincidence to Jesus meeting the procession just outside the gate of Nain. The Prince of Life was about to enter the gate of the city when death came out. There at the gates where life and death meet, life wins and death is defeated. Just outside of Jerusalem one day, death and life met again, and life won forevermore – praise the Lord! But why was it important for Jesus to console this poor widow and help to rectify her position of losing her last relative? You know, I believe it was not only for the purpose of winning the heart of that mother, but can you even imagine the awe and excitement of the crowd when the saw something that had, no doubt, never happened before in their lifetime – a young man being carried to his gravesite just sat up and began talking after an encounter with the King of all kings? Furthermore, how many times have you given up hope because you just couldn’t imagine Jesus finding time to respond to your prayer request or to feel your pain? Is it not clear that Jesus wants us to see that He not only gave up His life for us on Calvary, but because He rose again, He is forever available to us for whatever needs we may bring to Him? Please don’t confuse your trivial requests for things that might align you with the rich guy down the road, I’m talking about the things of the heart. To the saved, let me assure you that as you endeavor to live each day more closely aligned with your Master – Jesus Christ, you will want to do those things that He exampled for you while He was here on earth, and you will want to learn more about God’s Word so that you can validate that you are following His will for your life. To love someone and desire to live life pleasing to them, then you are more than willing to do what they say – plus some, and you will want to do what they ask of you, because you know that pleases them. You will love them unconditionally, which means that you will love them, even if it seems like they may not always return that love in the ways you demand or wish, but because you know they love you. That’s Jesus, my friend! To the unsaved – I’m not so sure that You could appreciate the grace and mercy of my Lord, but I hope that you have experienced one more example of how He has unbelievable compassion for His children, as he did for the grieving mother in our story today. You won’t find this kind of compassion in your circle of unsaved loved ones, but this may be perhaps this might just be the right opportunity for you to meet my Savior, accept Him as your Lord, and commit your life to Him for all eternity. Please read my Footnote carefully, as I have shared with you several avenues for help, should you need it in turning your back on the world and instead accepting Jesus as Lord.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus went a long way out of His way to comfort a grieving widow. I am reassured that He would do the same for me!

PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for showing us how to love. Thanks for helping us to see how Your heart was broken when You saw the broken heart of the grieving widow, and how You brought life back into her son. These are all things that are beyond our understanding, but Lord You alone are merciful and loving in such an unconditional manner. Teach us Lord to follow in Your example, so that people will see Jesus, understand Your love, and know that You will overcome many obstacles, if need be, to show Your love towards them. 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!

In Desperation, We All Need Jesus

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2021-08-12
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 8:41-42
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 41–42 Just then, a man named Jairus, the leader of the local Jewish congregation, fell before Jesus’ feet. He desperately begged him to come and heal his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, because she was at the point of death.

APPLICATION: We are way more judgmental than God ever intended us to be! We believe we know what a person is thinking, and we seem to have the answers on why they would refuse to listen to us! So for those gathered around Jesus, what do you suppose they must have thought when Jairus showed up, and when he knelt before the Master? Shocked? Afraid that Jairus was up to no good? Perhaps they stood ready to protect Jesus, if Jairus tried any funny stuff? But for just a moment today, stop and think about what brings people to Jesus. Although this man was a Jew and even stood in leadership with the Jewish people, yet in his time of desperate need he went to Jesus. That tells me that regardless of how strongly he spoke about Jesus not being the Messiah, as his fellow Jews believe, yet Jairus knew deep inside that Jesus was the Son of God and could therefore heal all man’s diseases. Isn’t it interesting how Jesus never questioned Jairus about why he would now seek Him out? I believe this is one more story that shows the love and concern of Jesus for His children, no matter how confused they are about who the world thinks Jesus truly is. I’m afraid that we have tried to become so ‘politically correct’ that we try to accept the misguided beliefs of another person, even when we know without a doubt what the Word of God says. Don’t your friends deserve to hear the truth, and then they could decide if the world is right, or if they could trust ‘thus says the Word of God’? Pray for me, while I lift each of you up in prayer, that we will love our family and friends enough to share the truth with them while laying aside any assumption we have about what they would accept from us. I heard a story last Sunday that reminds me of why Jairus may have sought out Jesus. You see, if Jesus is trying to get us from a place in our lives, that we will call Point ‘A’, to a better place in life, that we will call Point ‘B’; He knows that we will not willingly collect our things and move to Point ‘B’ if everything is going just fine at Point ‘A’. Often He will start placing obstacles in our path around Point ‘A’ and opportunities around His path at Point ‘B’, so that our minds will be redirected. Do you suppose that Jesus knew what it would take to win the heart of Jairus? Being a leader of the Jews, do you suppose that in Jairus becoming a changed man, other Jews might also be drawn to Jesus? Seek the Lord while He may be found dear friends. He will give you the desires of your heart, plus a whole lot more. Perhaps your friends are watching what you will do with Jesus, before they decide. Let me encourage you to turn your eyes upon Jesus today. Don’t wait for a disaster to help you make up your mind. Read my Footnote, especially the Scriptures noted in the link ‘To Know Jesus’. Know Him today, and know real peace!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus listened to the cry of Jairus and followed through in healing his daughter, regardless of what Jairus taught in the Jewish temple. No one is beyond the love of Jesus, if they call on Him!

PRAYER: Lord, I believe that You saw desperation in the heart of Jairus as He approached You on behalf of his daughter. You saw His need and You met His need. Many of us meditating on this devotional are burdened with needs. Oh that we will be impressed to seek You out as being the only One who could meet our needs. Covid is rampant all around us, and many of our family and/or friends are bedridden with this dreaded disease. May our hearts be so burdened, that we will remember who is able to heal and restore health and strength back to our loved ones. Please forgive us for judging others. In Your example in today’s Scripture, You simply met Jairus at his point of need – no questions asked and no level of judgment noted. Teach us Lord to be more like You in every way, every day, so that others will know of You, and believe in You. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Demonstrate The Holiness of God

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

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-06-22
WRITTEN AT: Villa Ridge, MO

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 20:10-12
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 10 Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

APPLICATION: Things that are logical to mankind will hardly cause an unbeliever to imagine that it originated with God. None the less we often see where movies and plays add special effects when trying to help an audience understand how miraculous God’s awesome power is. It seems like Moses tried to do this when God told he and Aaron to simply speak forth water from a rock. I realize that part of the problem was that Moses was so upset with his people over the disrespect and distrust in God to provide them with water, especially after God had done such an awesome job at doing just that since they left Egypt. They remind me of children who are spoiled rotten. They want it, and they want it NOW. It doesn’t matter that mom and dad may not have the money, they want their request now, or they will yell and scream until they receive it. Like me, it’s enough to make you lose your patience with them as well, right? At a glance, you may read over this biblical account and wonder what made God so angry at Moses and Aaron. I believe that God wanted one more opportunity to show His people that they could trust Him for all their needs, including providing water for them when there appeared to be no water available out in the desert for so many people and animals. Friends, God has declared in His Word that He will provide a way for us, even when there seems to be no way. He said that ALL things are possible, when we place our trust in Him. God made streets out of rivers for the Israelites and He sent them food out of the sky, to name just a few examples of what He did. If you were among that crowd, wouldn’t you be quick to trust Him when He said that He would provide your every need? But wait, isn’t this the same God that we look to for our needs today? Are you able to place your faith and trust in this holy God to provide your answers to all your cares and concerns? I know you can, and furthermore I believe that I too can trust Him in every aspect of my life. I believe it is also incumbent upon us to also lift up our Holy God for who He is. Yes, He answers our prayers, and yes, we must shout that from the mountain tops and let the whole world know that Jesus is alive, and He is more than able to meet their needs also, if only they would learn to trust Him. Our successes, our healing, our restored sight, our miraculous baby, our escape from serious injury in that awful wreck – these were not happen-chance; they were not our lucky day; they were not because of anything we did, other than simply placing our faith and trust in the God who can do all things – the One who promised to answer our prayers and watch over us, if only we would trust Him and allow Him to be God. Tell the world my friend. No need to pretty it up, or supersize it for effects. Simply tell them what God has done, and He will do the rest. It’s all about Him, my friend!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God worked miraculously through two simple men, even though they thought they needed to magnify His work, or help their people believe in the miracle, because of the actions they saw from two great leaders. He’s still God, and there’s nothing we could do to help Him complete His work in us!

PRAYER: Thank You precious Lord for taking such good care of us every day. Thank You also for hearing our cry when we feel like the mountain is too high to cross over, and the valley too low to endure. You made us Lord, so You already know our weaknesses. Please forgive us for not only failing to trust You with our problems, but failing to tell the world after we have seen You perform a miracle in our lives. How will they know You, if we hide Your work from them. Please help us to obediently follow You; be thankful for Your miraculous works; and be ready and willing to tell the world about You, without feeling like we need to add special effects to make You look good. Your grace is enough and Your power is all we need. Thank You Jesus for loving us enough to complete Your work in us. 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!

Reach Out and Touch Him In Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, Healing, Hope, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 9

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him.20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe,21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.  Matt 9:19-22 (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Like the woman with the issue of blood who followed Jesus and knew that if she could only touch Him she would be healed, today we too reach out to Jesus with all we have in us, knowing that He can heal us or mend our brokenness. Jesus looked at the lady in this story and told her that because of her faith, she was healed. Friends, this is the same Jesus that we serve today, and He is still looking for our faith and sincerity so that He can say the same thing to us. We know that many of our problems are well beyond our abilities. We know that all things are possible with, and through Jesus. Let us then place our faith and trust in the one with all the answers, with all the power to bring about the miracles that we need in our lives. Let’s let go and let God have His way with us. Let’s surrender to His power so that His miracle hand can begin a great work in us! Like the woman reached out to touch Jesus for her healing, let’s reach out and touch Him today.

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father thank You for this reminder today, that I must reach out to the one with all the answers, the only One with all the power to heal and/or change things in and around me. You are in control and can be counted on to heal me as I reach out in faith to You. Please help me daily to walk in faith, help me to keep my eyes so focused on You that I will always surrender my concerns to You and allow Your power to work miracles in my life and in all walks of life that affect me. Speak the word today dear God and heal my concerns, may my walk with You become richer today as a result of my faith. Thank You for loving me so much to hear my prayer and work in and through me.

Obedience that shows our fear of god

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Honesty, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Pleasing to God, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Genesis 22 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”  Gen 22:12-14 (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Abraham had been an outstanding child of God up to this point, obeying God’s every command and doing what he thought would please God. Yet in verse 1 of this chapter we are told that God tested his faith, and oh what a test! He commanded Abraham to sacrifice his dearly loved son, Isaac. The scripture shares nothing about Abraham questioning God or trying to make any deal with God, he simply followed God’s instructions. Because of his obedience, God intervened and saved Abraham from such a sacrifice. I wonder if we, or if I am obedient enough to God’s instructions that I would do whatever He asked me to do, and secondly, am I obedient enough for God to say, OK you have proven that you truly fear Me. In my opinion, this is the ultimate proof of our love for God and our obedience to Him, when we are willing to follow what He tells us to do no matter what. God loves us so much that He willingly sacrificed His Son, Jesus, and He didn’t hesitate and withdraw at the last moment, like He allowed in the case of Abraham and Isaac. So lessons learned here tells me that God loves me so much that He sacrificed it all. He also loves us so much that He would be willing to step in and save the day for us, His children, when we prove to Him that we truly love and fear Him. Perhaps we will be blessed enough to name the place where we recognized God’s miracle in our life, much like Abraham did in the case of ‘Yahweh-Yireh’!

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

The kind of love that You extend to me is way beyond human comprehension, O Lord. You have shown in Your Word just how loving and kind You were to those before me, and I have every reason to believe that You love me equally as much. May I be bold enough, obedient enough, honest enough and committed enough to show my love and respect in all that You command of me. Abraham was obedient even to the extent that he was willing to sacrifice his greatly loved son. May I be obedient to Your voice today dear God!