Tag: Needy

Attributes of Ten Lepers

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Healing, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, July 6, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Chiefland, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN Luke 17:12-18

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: ….. ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, sir, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go to the Jewish priest and show him that you are healed!” And as they were going, their leprosy disappeared. One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, “Glory to God, I’m healed!” 16 He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a despised Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?”

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: How often do we run like a dog with its tail between its legs when we feel like we are unwanted, rejected, or frowned upon? Yet these ten lepers deliberately placed themselves in the path of Jesus, knowing that He is the only One that could heal them, and/or restore their self-respect to help them feel accepted by society once more. Today, I believe that we have a few lessons to learn from this encounter!

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: What are some things that might make you feel guilty of being rejected by those you come into contact with? Perhaps dirty, even though no one else but you know that the dirt is on you? Perhaps smelly, even though you alone are conscious about not having a bath as frequently as you normally would? Perhaps guilty, even though most people don’t know the activities you were involved in the night before? But what if you had to stay outside the city gates, or in our case today, perhaps you are ordered to live segregated in a community of persons with known communicable diseases? What if you were ordered to identify your disease anytime a well person came within, say 25′ of you? And what if you heard that the one person in the world who could help restore your health, would be passing near enough that you could place yourself in his presence, would you do it? Friends, as you think about these things, I pray that God will remind you of the times that you found petty excuses why you couldn’t, or wouldn’t, force yourself to worship together with other believers, or be concerned enough about others that you would join together with other believers in praying for their needs, or celebrating their victories. Or perhaps you are not giving priority to meditating on God’s Word and conversing with Him on a daily basis. I sometimes ponder what our plight might be if God allowed Jesus to make the excuses that we often make. Another interesting point in this story lies with the fact that these men didn’t send a message to the leading priests of their day asking for prayer, but they were bold enough to place themselves before the only One who could possibly heal them of their disease. But oh dear friend of God, notice that when Jesus saw these suffering lepers, He didn’t choose to turn away, or feel superior to them in any way. In spite of obvious objections by those who accompanied Him, yet Jesus wanted to help these men, and He did. Isn’t it sad that our church leaders. relatives or friends today easily find excuses why they can’t visit us at home, or even in the hospital, even though we are seldom ever burdened with a communicable disease like leprosy? Please also stop and consider that Jesus healed all ten lepers – Jew and Gentile. We must be careful to never find ourselves locked in the four walls of our church, and think that God is only interested in me, my two, and no more. God created us all, and He sent His Son that whosoever believes in Him, would have eternal life and live with Him forever in heaven. There is no way that we should try to filter that to include only a certain few. On the matter of saying thank you, I have been in prayer meetings where the needs requiring prayer were at least as serious as the need of the lepers, and we prayed our hearts out for those needs. Wouldn’t you think that the praise and thanksgiving part of our service should almost raise the roof when we hear the reports of how Jesus healed and restored people? One leper, a Gentile, the unlikely one, returned to thank Jesus for healing him. Do you suppose we have learned to do any better over all the years of celebrating the truths of God’s Word and the victories won in so many instances? Jesus had a story to tell, and as we’ve had yet another opportunity to remind ourselves of His miraculous works in the lives of what appears to be the most unlikely of His kids, I pray that lessons would be learned that would prompt us to search for the heart of Jesus every day, so that we might respond to life’s situations in His likeness, and not that of this wicked world.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Only one leper returned to give thanks to the Lord for his healing. Hopefully we will follow the example of that one, and not the other nine that went on, ungrateful to their Healer and Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, it seems so true that many of us will not look up to you until we are laid on our backs of affliction with no other choice but to look up. This same principle seems normal for some who attend church only when things are not going well, or there is a desperate need in their life. Oh, Lord Jesus, please help every reader and listener to join me in desiring relationship with You, and not just look to You as a Santa Clause or sugar daddy to fill our needs when they occur and/or when we ask for Your help. Although the ten were instructed to show themselves to the priest for their official clearance back into their community, there was one who chose to do nothing more until having thanked his Healer. Every day we are blessed by You in many ways. Please help us to not be a people willing to beg, but not offer up our praise and thanksgiving to the One responsible for our blessings. Thank You Lord for Your unselfish sacrifice on the cross, and for all that You do for all Your children that far exceeds anything we deserve. Please draw us into relationship where we might not only seek Your healing touch, but also discuss our highs and lows of each day and always thank You for the part we are convinced that You played in our day. Many that we know need You Lord, may they see such awesome reflection in our lives of the One who saved us, that they will know first-hand what that new relationship will be like. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to 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!

HELP, Lord, HELP!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Help, Needs, Our Help comes from God, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-04-07
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 22:19
TRANSLATION: New English Translation (NET)

BIBLE TEXT: 19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away.
You are my source of strength. Hurry and help me!

OBSERVATION: It is somewhat unfortunate that much of our time in communion with God is spent asking for His help in some form or fashion. After all, an onlooker might think that there would not be enough hours in a day to thank God and praise Him for His goodness. In fact many of us may feel like the Psalms consist mostly of songs of praise and thanksgiving, but they’re not. As we meditate on the Word today, let us remember that God wants to hear not only our heart of praise, but our needs and our wants also.

APPLICATION: I’ve heard where kids call on their mom so much that mothers have sometimes asked in response ‘child, don’t you know any other name?’. Looking in from the outside, this sounds funny, but a child learns that they could ask mom for anything, as she has all the answers, and could meet their needs on demand (Ha)! But doesn’t that childlike concept continue into adulthood? Don’t we often feel like God is something like mom also? Without hesitancy and without doubt, we could easily say to those around us that our God is all-powerful; all-knowing; Creator of the entire world; Healer of the sick; and Savior of the world. But in spite of being His children, we are still needy and want God close by, every hour of every day. I believe this may have been how David felt. You see, David was going through a situation where his enemies were down to dividing up his clothes, like the soldiers did to Jesus while He hung on the cross. It seemed like death was certain, and approaching very quickly. Although David had been extremely strong during his prime and very independent in his thinking and planning, yet he was at a stage of desperation where He felt like only God could help him escape and go on. You know, as we look at this and consider how David may have felt, how God must have felt, and how we feel today, I believe we could see where this plea of David’s was quite natural, and kind of what God expects. You see, David had grown up knowing that God was with him, directing his path, and protecting Him as necessary – much like how the child of God feels today. However, I believe that God placed David in a position, as He does with us today, where we realize that our God is still enthroned and wants us to recognize Him as Lord and Master over everything. To do this, God must sometimes show us that our power is limited without Him, and that we must still look to Him as our Guide, Protecter, Deliverer, Healer and Savior. Imagine how soon we forget when we are not reminded of someone? Imagine how cocky we would get if we thought that the whole world had no boundaries for us, for we had it all under control? My friends, we still serve an awesome God, and while He has blessed us with an awful lot, yet He is still God. Like David, we still need Him every day, so although we have become independent of our parents, yet we are always at the mercy and grace of our Lord. Let Him be God, for we are not, nor will we ever become God. But He is as near as the mention of His name. Thank Him for His unlimited blessings, and seek Him for all your daily needs. One day soon, we will bow before Him in limitless praise for all eternity!

PRAYER: Although the world may assume that we are liberated and no longer need to depend on Jesus, they could not be further from the truth. Thank You for saving our soul, and thank You for giving us power to overcome obstacles each day that may otherwise pull us away from the cross and lead us down a road of sin and destruction. Like David, we cry out to You oh Lord, knowing that only through Your power and Your immeasurable grace that we are forgiven of our sins and we stand ready for Your return, so that we could soon be worshipping You and the Father in Heaven. We place ourselves at Your feet and pray that You might continue to protect, heal, love and encourage us while here on earth. Please make us acceptable in Your sight, and worthy of being Your witness here on earth, so that You many be glorified on earth by all men, even as You are in heaven. 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!

Kingdom Giving

On By Ed AlgreenIn Give it up, Giving, Rewards, SacrificeLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-01-14

Bible Reference: Matthew 6:3-4
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text:  3 So when you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know what you are doing.[a 4 Your giving should be done in private. Your Father can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.

OBSERVATION: I find it fascinating that the Bible gives us direction from our Father on every aspect of life. However, we often hear people say that they don’t want to be told about their giving, because what they give ‘is their business alone’. God is very thorough in His Word though, for he tells us what we should do, even in our giving. Let’s meditate today on this very sensitive aspect of every person’s life.

APPLICATION: This is probably one of the most sensitive matters that a pastor can preach on, as parishioners often allow this subject to not only challenge their hearts, but they tend to start comparing what they give to what they believe others are giving, with hopes that they could feel better about themselves. In the business world, giving to any need in the community is a marketing opportunity, because the business owner wants you to know that they are giving back to the community from all that they make off you, in profits. Of course, this is done to help you feel good about such a company, and therefore spend even more money with them! For individuals, we might often see a case of public display, because some feel good about the public praise they receive wherever they go. So what about the Christian, for that’s what most readers of this blog will look for. I believe there are two aspects that we need to seek God’s guidance on. First of all, how much do we give to the church? I believe it is clear in God’s Word that we should joyously give at least 10% of our gross earthly income, and that it should be given to your local church, with no strings attached. I was once told by an attorney that in my will, I was trying to control well beyond the grave!!! Unfortunately, we tend to think a lot like that when it comes to church finances, for we find fault with how the offerings/funds are being used and, of course, since we have all the right answers (from a distance), we feel like we should designate our giving to make sure it is spent in an area that we feel good about. Friends, giving unconditionally, or to undesignated funds, is the 10% tithe that’s directed in God’s Word. Secondly, we may want to give to a ‘Designated Fund’ such as missions, or any other fund, but that’s over and above your tithe. But why can’t I give my tithe so that ‘Suzi’ could put a roof on her house, you might ask? Why, is there a trust issue with your church’s financial team? Please don’t forget who that team answers to – the same God that you will answer to on Judgment Day. These types of designated giving, or to any other special need that God may place on your heart, these are freewill offerings that you are free to do at will. However, our Scripture today warns us about giving for personal gain, or personal recognition/praise/glory. As a child of God, the only glory that should really matter to us, is the reward mentioned in verse 4 today. No one on earth may ever know what you may have given to various needy people or projects, but to hear the Master tell us how He saw all that we gave, and how proud He was, and is of us, will be worth it all. So when we give my friend, let’s learn to give as unto the Lord. Sure, it may help an earthly need, but only God needs to know that it was us who gave as a result of all that He blessed us with.

PRAYER: For the awesome gifts that You have blessed us with oh Lord, we say thank You. Often we feel so undeserving Oh Lord, but to be able to share those gifts with others in need, is so rewarding. Please speak to my readers, and reemphasize in my life, the importance of helping the needy and giving a committed amount back to You, in return for the 100% earnings that You made possible for me/us. Please continue to bless in the same amazing ways that we can already attest to from past experience. You are our good, good God, to whom we owe our total selves and every blessing that You send our way. Lord, may we follow in Your example and bless others beyond all measure. AMEN!

Lives Filled With Good Works

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Servants of God, Serve, Service, WorksLeave a comment

Saturday, 2018-12-22

Bible Reference: Ephesians 2:10
Translation: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Bible Text:  10 God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.

OBSERVATION: God sent us His precious, one and only Son, to show us what good works He would demonstrate to us while here on earth. He then gave each of us opportunity to accept Jesus as our Lord, and to become His ‘sheep’, who would look to their leader for leadership and mentorship. As His sons and daughters, we too have been created for good works that our Master has prepared just for us. Let us contemplate those good works and how we might respond to the work God has laid out for us!

APPLICATION: Christmas would not be merry if we didn’t, or don’t, know the end of the story. In like manner, our efforts to be kind, loving, supportive, and God-like, would be of no value unless we stop to reflect on: all that God has already done for us; all that He has promised to us while here on earth; and the home He has prepared for us in Glory! Friends, as we reflect on the miracles of Jesus Christ, and as we reflect on the many times that He has answered our prayers, even though so unworthy of His mighty works, who are we to go into this Christmas season expecting anything, or thinking that we deserve anything? You know, when we consider all the ‘gifts’ given to us, especially this year, could we not turn this Christmas into a second Thanksgiving Day this year? However, notice again what our focal verse says. It reveals what God expects from us, for it says that He expects us to live life in a state of readiness to do the good works that He has already prepared for us. Now let me say that I don’t believe that you will awaken each day and find your list of God-things to do on your kitchen counter. Rather, I believe that your surrendered life will be led by the One you have surrendered to, and that He will lead you into circumstances where you will just open the flood gates of heaven, and allow God to become real in the lives of those you encounter. Not sure about you friend, but there is no way that I could prepare my daily schedule knowing full well who I will encounter and what their needs might be. So I am convinced that our relationship with Jesus Christ must be one of trust and dependence on Him. In fact, we might start each day with the words of an old chorus: ‘wherever You lead, I’ll go’, because unless we are led by Him, we will wind up getting together with friends to jive around and chat about things of mutual interest; unless we are led by our Lord, we will mix with those who tickle our fancies, and bless us in some way. It is so important for us to remember that if God has already prepared the things for us to do, then we must look to Him for His orders, His direction and His leadership. I believe that each of our families will be blessed beyond measure this Christmas, if we are obedient to the things already planned for us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Oh that He may rule and reign in us, and through us, this Christmas!

PRAYER: Lord God, please show me what You have ordained for me to do over the next few days, and please give me the humility, strength, wisdom and desire to be obedient to Your will. I believe that I can safely say that my readers and I would like nothing more than to humbly obey Your will for our lives. Please tender our hearts and make us especially sensitive to Your direction as we seek to be Your hands and feet in the lives of others this Christmas. May it be obvious to those we come into contact with, that the baby we especially honor this time of the year, is also the King who rules all other kings, and Lord of all who seek to know Him more intimately. AMEN!