Tag: Poor

Embracing All: God’s Love for the Rich and Poor

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

DATE POSTED
Monday, January 13, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa at Hunter Road, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Quoted from the Living Bible (TLB) and found in James 2:1; 4; 13;

THE SCRIPTURE READS
1 Dear brothers, how can you claim that you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, if you show favoritism to rich people and look down on poor people?
4 judging a man by his wealth shows that you are guided by wrong motives.
13 for there will be no mercy to those who have shown no mercy. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
I believe that I have included enough Scripture from James 2 that you may be provoked into reading the whole chapter! But dear friends, it become evident that God wanted to remind me to not overlook any of His children because of certain prejudices I may have developed over my lifetime. It was just yesterday that I included in my notes from our pastor’s sermon ‘Who am I that God would use me’, for Pastor had shared how his young adult church family could never imagine him being called into God’s ministry, because of his past history. Many of us can identify with this story, because we know that our past gave no indication of how God could use even us to spread His Word to a lost and dying world after being redeemed by His blood. Remember, God also used Saul in the most amazing way in his new identity as a child of God and with his new name – Paul. Yet, we tend to look down our noses in sinful pride when we hear of God speaking to an unlikely candidate for salvation. We often say, ‘I can’t imagine what caused that bum to leave the street corner long enough to come in and disrupt our church service by walking in here like that’, don’t we? The sad thing is that we may not say that often enough, because we’ve not been on the street corners spreading the love of Jesus with those individuals. Furthermore, and even worse, we have created such an elite group in our churches that, should a poor and destitute person walk through our doors, we may approach them quickly to ask if they lost their way. But, what about the one who struts in, very proudly, often over dressed, who came in from their expensive car out in the parking lot? Don’t we make every effort to show them the best seat in the house and make every effort to help them feel welcomed? What might be our ‘wrong motives’ that James speaks of in verse 4? Although this may not have been planned, or intentional, I believe that our sixth sense kicks in as we recall the financial woes of our church, and the intimidation we’ve always felt about being the poorest church in town, filled with just humble people who manage to make it through life financially. Wouldn’t it be God-like to instead feel overjoyed that God has caused the rich and the poor alike to hear of His love for them and want to attend our church to learn more about Him and His amazing sacrifice for their sin? Friends, let us never forget that God has ordained it that we go into all the world and share His Gospel truth with everyone. This means with the poor, so that they might be encouraged to know that God, and His people loves them and want to see them in heaven alongside His many other children, rich and poor. The rich should also know this, for this gives them a reminder that God opened doors for them to gain financial means so that they might help those who are less fortunate and help those who strive to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. Be reminded today that God saves people who seek Him and accepts His precious love for mankind, and He does this without looking into their pocketbook first. As children of this loving Father, we too must learn to love, care about, and lead ALL mankind to the saving grace of our loving God through His Son, Jesus. All will be equal in the sight of God when we kneel at His feet in glory, so should we be here on earth.

PRAYER
What a wonderful reminder today, dear Lord. When things are going amazingly well we find it challenging to understand the struggles others are having. When things are challenging for us, we tend to feel depressed about the success of others and their ability to keep their heads up as they rejoice in the joys of life. Often this is impacted by finances where it appears like the poor is looked down on while the rich is abundantly blessed. I believe that You, Lord, forego the pocketbook and look directly at the heart, and I want so badly that Your followers will follow in Your example. Your servant, James, really challenged my heart today, and I pray that the thoughts You have impressed upon me to share will only serve to reinforce what James shared. Please teach us to always follow in Your ways, and to always look at the heart of a person without allowing distractions from any other source. May we be known to love as You love – unconditionally and from a heart of grace and mercy, just as You loved us while we were yet sinners. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. I would also suggest that you speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com and share your good news! Perhaps one of God’s servants will 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. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby 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 being a part of that, while also growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Maintaining Integrity and Contentment

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, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Monday, August 26, 2024, and I was blessed to be at San Marcos River Resort, Fentress, TX 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 Voice (VOICE) IS FOUND IN Proverbs 30:7-9

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: Two things I ask, O God. Sometime before I die, grant these humble requests:
Eliminate any hint of worthless and deceitful words from my lips.
Do not make me poor or rich, but give me each day what I need;
For if I have too much, I might forget You are the One who provides, saying, “Who is the Eternal One?” Or if I do not have enough, I might become hungry and turn to stealing and thus dishonor the good name of my God.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: To protect one’s integrity, they might exaggerate on the truth in order to protect their standing, or position on something. This might be something they said, did, or are being accused of. As a child, I remember my dad being leery of his takeaways from a certain individual, for that person was known to exaggerate about things or add their own twists to a story to make it more dramatic. As I read this plea from Agur, my eyes were opened to the sad state of affairs that many of us still find ourselves in today, for we still ‘stretch the truth’ in order to emphasize our point or make us look better in certain circumstances. But remember the example I opened with? My dad took anything said by his friend with a ‘grain of salt’, for he knew that there could be some truth in his story, but he also knew that much of it was probably constructed with ulterior motives. If we are truly meant to share our God stories with others, and if we are meant to evangelize the unbelievers, and if we are meant to be true representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ, shouldn’t we be clear, truthful and always unquestionable in the honesty of our speech to others at all times? If our words are tainted by untruth, what will we tell them about Jesus, since He is obviously not having an impact on our own behavior? The second request is similarly very interesting and challenging. ‘Teach me Lord to be content with what I have’, might be the proper label for this. For if I have too much, I might get cocky and think that I must have done something right in life and I am being rewarded for how good I truly am! Oh my, shouldn’t we wake up and realize that without Jesus Christ, we are nothing at all? While this is a frequent comment by Christians, I believe it is worth clarifying that no matter what the unbeliever achieves in life, or how much money they pile into their bank accounts, they will find themselves: very alone; with no one greater to call on or be challenged by; and no hope or expectation of a future life in heaven with the Creator of this universe. This sounds like a very lonely, disappointing and uneventful climax to a life on earth where one may have thought they were ‘on top of the world’ because of their personal achievements and success. But the second part of this request is that God would help Agur not be too poor, for he then might be tempted to steal or seek dishonest means in order to survive. Friends, I believe that an honest recap or evaluation of this entire request of Agur is that God would remove any distraction that might cause him to stray from his walk with God. Way too often we ask God to give, give, give, for we want to get as good as, or as rich as, or as favorable as, the richer person. I believe that this writer has shown us that we must recognize one thing only – our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If He blesses us with riches, then we use that for His glory and for expanding the Kingdom of God here on earth. If He blesses us with just enough to get by, then let’s be quick to bend the knee each and every day as we beg for one more morsal of food or finances to see us through another day. In ALL THINGS let us learn to be thankful to God for ALL His mercies and blessings. May the unsaved, and the world in general, always see and experience God in every form of association with us, every day.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord, You are good to us and Your mercies are remarkable, and beyond anything we could ever imagine or ask for. Please Lord, help us to be satisfied in what You have done for us, and what You continue to do for us each and every day. You paid the ultimate price for simple people like us who want to achieve eternal life in heaven with You and the Father. Help us Lord to simply recognize our limitations and inadequacies and teach us to live in the light of eternity, while recognizing Your power and Your handiwork in everything we might accomplish here on earth. Without You, we can do nothing. Please walk with us every day and direct our path to live worthy of the King who gave himself up for our sin. Give us a strong desire to be honest in all we say and do, and to always recognize our all-sufficient Lord and Savior! 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 nearby 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!

Having Something of Value

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, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, June 6, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. 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 New Living Translation (NLT) IS FOUND IN Luke 16:24-28

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: This is just an excerpt from a very well-known Bible story that involved a proud rich man, and a humble poor man who sat at his gate most days hoping to benefit from the scraps from the rich man’s table. From every indication, the rich man saw Lazarus as more of a bother than anything else, as long as the rich man felt more important than Lazarus was. I wonder how well we would do in our witness if we felt frowned upon by prospects we witnessed to?

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: Jesus is telling this story, but He was treated in much the same way as Lazarus. However, I believe that many of us would be challenged to accept ridicule and still go on loving and looking out for a person’s best interest if they don’t appreciate, nor want us anywhere near to them. But as long as the rich man felt ‘rich’, or better than Lazarus, there was nothing that Lazarus could offer him of any meaningful good. However, when the position was reversed, the rich man suddenly discovered, and acknowledged, the value of poor old Lazarus. Apparently, the witness of this poor old man had an impact on the rich man’s life after all, even though his life here on earth was much too comfortable to think of ‘needing’ the God of this universe. Notice how, in two instances, the rich man asked Abraham to ‘send Lazarus’. When our lives are changed, and we could identify what helped our lives to change, we are suddenly ready to refer that change agent to others! Friends, none of us desire to be poor, or especially forced to beg for our nutritional needs, but throughout the Bible we are taught the benefits of humbling ourselves and persistence in our witness for our Lord and Savior. Just as I believe that the persistent witness of Lazarus had a profound effect on the rich man from our story today, I believe that we could also give God complete access to use us in witnessing to great and small alike – even those who we might often feel inferior to, because of their earthly status and value. Think about this, no matter how much money a man might have, he must still enter heaven through the same gate that the poorest man on earth, in order to see heaven. Jesus sent His Son so that ALL may enter, through Him, into the portals of Heaven. Yes, your approach may have to be different when witnessing to a rich man than you would to a beggar. But their need is the same, and the solution to their earthly problem of sin, is the very same. There is no ‘first class’ entrance, or golden gate, for one versus the other. Regardless of your financial status, your lineage or your job position on earth, we are all equal at the foot of the cross. The rich man struggled to see this while alive, and so will many who consider themselves above the rest, but our story, our witness, and our love for each and every one must be the same, for its only through Jesus that one will be saved and made acceptable to heaven.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Praise God, there is a way for us to enter heaven! We may not be guilty of the same sin as the rich man in our story, but without ever accepting Jesus as Lord, some will face the same predicament where they will see those who witnessed to them afar off in heaven spending time with Jesus, and they will wish they would have listened to the warnings.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, thank You for accepting me as Your son, and promising me the glories of heaven. But because of this story, I am reminded of the rich, the princes, the kings, the queens, and the CEOs of large corporations who may never see the need of One who offers them much more than anything they could ever have here on earth. It is challenging for even me to understand that they will be filtered through the same gate as me, to receive their judgment and directions for their final, eternal destiny. Please Lord, place men and women in their way, just like You did with Lazarus, but please help nonbelievers to catch a glimpse of Heaven, where You stand with opened arms to receive them, should they make good decisions today. You died for us all, now please speak intently to those who do not feel the need to accept You as Lord. 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. 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. 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!

I Consider All People The Same

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

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-06-17
WRITTEN AT: Florence, IN

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 15:11-16
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 11-13 If you are a native Israelite, you must obey these rules each time you offer a bull, a ram, or a goat as a sacrifice. 14 And the foreigners who live among you must also follow these rules. 15-16 This law will never change. I am the Lord, and I consider all people the same, whether they are Israelites or foreigners living among you.

APPLICATION: Over and over again God showed us in His Word that He created all people; He loved, and still loves all people; He sent His Son, Jesus, for all people; and He has gone to prepare a place for all people. As children of this awesome God, should we not be like Him? Should we not love like Him, without any filters that may rule out certain individuals from our circle of love? I wouldn’t consider either of my parents ‘dictators’, but it was a common theme that we, the children, would always eat what they ate; work hard like we saw them working; attend the same church they did; love the same people they loved; and helped the same people they helped. With God as our Father, shouldn’t we also follow His example in everything He did and obey Him in all of His teaching? Have you ever stopped to consider that when you hate a brother because they are different to you, it must make God very sad, because He is watching two of His children be at odds with each other? Please allow me to suggest that this segregation tends to come in many forms: the color of our skin seems most prominent; but generally the rich wants little to do with the poor; one nationality may not associate with people from another country; one religion may want nothing to do with folk of a different faith; country folk may stay a distance from city folk; etc. Friends, we all have the same Father, for there is only one God. He has prepared a place for us to live eternally, and we may wind up boarding with some of the same people we refuse to associate with here on earth. Should we not be practicing for the day when, regardless of all the above mentioned divisions, we will all stand united at the feet of Jesus, and nothing, absolutely nothing else imaginable will matter to us? God said that He considers all people the same, I would dare say that today we should be able to say the same and live in unity one with another, as brothers and sister of the same Father. This will involve helping each other reach the goal set before us, because Satan will try every trick in the book to keep us divided and at odds with each other. Remember, greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. We have the power source working in us to do all that our Father commands!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God wanted to make sure that the Israelites knew He was referring to them with His commands. God also wanted the Gentiles to know that they were also under His command, because with God, He saw everyone just the same. Today we can have the same attitude as our Father, God being our helper!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, the Father made it clear that He sees no difference among His children. Satan has been cunning and conniving in making sure that many things divide us. This is wrong, but it has gotten so big that we need You each and every day to give us a love for our brothers and sisters that will not be separated by the evil one. Please guide us oh Lord in the path of righteousness, for Your own name’s sake. The world needs Jesus, not a pretense that reminds them too much of their master. Oh Lord, please unite us here on earth as it will be in heaven, for Your glory and Your sake. 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!

Our God of Mercy

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

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-04-02
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Exodus 22:22-27
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 22 “You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. 23 If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
25 “If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as security for a loan, you must return it before sunset. 27 This coat may be the only blanket your neighbor has. How can a person sleep without it? If you do not return it and your neighbor cries out to me for help, then I will hear, for I am merciful.

OBSERVATION: Although the exact words are not evident, God indicates in verse 23 that He is merciful towards widows and orphans, just as he indicated in verse 27 about the poor. I wonder how conscious we are about being merciful, like our Father is? I wonder how careful we are about not coming under the wrath of God when dealing with widows, orphans and the poor? Perhaps today is a good day to consider how we are doing in following His example to be merciful. Allow the Word of God to have it’s way in your life today.

APPLICATION: All throughout the Bible we could find where God thought very tenderly and mercifully towards those who struggled to take care of themselves. Brothers were told to marry the wives left behind by their deceased brother. Deacons were told to lookout for, and take good care of, widows and orphans. But I was totally amazed at the reminder in today’s Scripture again. For God warned the Israelites that if they took advantage of these individuals and, as a consequence, they came to Him about their hurt and their need, He would kill the guilty men so that their wives and children would then become widows and orphans. Men, I don’t know about you, but even though I would fear bringing on hurt or death to myself, the last thing in the world I would want to know, is that my wife and child are being left in want after my passing. But none-the-less, Jesus warned that He would be that upset if He saw His weaker children being abused. So how would this be applied to our current day situations? In your line of business, do you offer incentives or discounts to these individuals, or do you see them as a higher risk, seeing that they are without a husband/father, so you charge them more? This might be for goods, or in the case of interest on loans or credit cards, since this was dealt with next. Do you offer them a ride back home after visiting your place of business, or are you way too busy attending to the rich and giving them every possible incentive to give you more business? Friends, I believe that God has allowed us to remain on earth so that we may represent Him well. Today we have been taught a few things that really upsets the Father. What do you suppose you and I could do to stay in the good graces of our merciful God, as it pertains to widows, orphans and the poor? Sure many who read this devotion today may not be considered rich, but in the eyes of the poor and destitute, they see us as ‘rich’. Cutting our meal size in half will not only help our health, but we might then be able to share a portion with one who may not have a solid, healthy meal. With a few extra dollars on hand, instead of using that for an extra vacation, or another new suit, try helping the widow whose electric power is close to being terminated because of unpaid bills. Instead of putting that poor person under the nearby bridge down, share a jacket with him, or take the extra food to her from a meal where you cooked in excess. Show love towards these people, be a good neighbor to that child of God who needs help. Love these individuals, even as our caring, merciful God loved you while you were still steeped in sin and filth. Let it be said of you that you were merciful, just like your Father!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, I am so thankful that You know our very heart and therefore You are well aware of all that we stand for. There’s no need in us trying to tell You what we do and who we love, for You know our very heart. Please penetrate our hearts with Your Word, so that Your perfect will and way may be evident in all that we do, say and think. There are so many needs around us, and I’m afraid that we have become way too hardened by the needs. We attribute that to abuse that we may have seen, or perhaps to family members who should really jump in and help their needy members. But in today’s Scripture You gave us no escsape, for You insisted that if we see the need, or if we are aware of the need, meet it with all that we can. May we become keenly aware of the needs that we will encounter today with those that we come into contact with, and may You become very visible to those that we help. You gave it all, and we thank You for that, but please receive honor, praise and glory for any representation of Yourself today by Your children. 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!

Evil Motives – Not An Attribute Of God

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

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-10-21
WRITTEN AT: Bostic, NC

BIBLE REFERENCE: James 2:2-4
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 2 If an affluent gentleman enters your gathering wearing the finest clothes and priceless jewelry, don’t trip over each other trying to welcome him. And if a penniless bum crawls in with his shabby clothes and a stench fills the room, don’t look away or pretend you didn’t notice—offer him a seat up front, next to you. 3-4 If you tell the wealthy man, “Come sit by me; there’s plenty of room,” but tell the vagrant, “Oh, these seats are saved. Go over there,” then you’ll be judging God’s children out of evil motives.

OBSERVATION: For those who would like to pick apart the subject that I chose, you may first want an analysis of what ‘Evil Motives’ mean, because most Christians will try to tell us that they have none! But consider the example used by James in our Scripture today and decide whether you, or your church leadership, would act any differently! God is not happy when we act based on evil motives. Do you welcome the poor, underdressed and hungry into your home, or your church services each week? Stay with me as we meditate on this today!

APPLICATION: In my early church days I experienced a few church leaders who thought they would help two young men by telling them how they should dress the next time they consider coming to church. This was not a helpful thing for the church, nor the young men, because they never came back to church again. So let’s consider what might be our lesson taught in these verses today. James 2 is a parallel teaching to the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 7, where Jesus taught us that we are not to judge others. I believe that James is teaching us a similar message, but he also expands the subject to include how the world sees no difference in us than it does with the unsaved when we cling to our selfish, greedy attitudes by promoting those who appear more financially able than others. Think about it: the one who drives up to the church in a Porsche is probably one who might benefit our finances that Sunday, verses the one who walks up to the church in ragged clothes, dirty and perhaps, smelly. But is that what the church is all about? What does the heart of each man look like? Have they accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior? Could one of them be Jesus in the flesh, showing us how we let earthly treasures impact our belief system and therefore cause us to treat one in our midst better than the other? In the business world, a company may hire an independent ‘shopper’ to visit their business and report on the quality of service by front-line personnel. Assume that Jesus is on the sidelines, and as a ‘shopper’ He is watching our every move and interaction with the two men referenced above. What do you suppose His evaluation will look like? In today’s Scripture He led James to tell us that we would be judging the men based on their outward appearance. Praise God He looks at the inward condition of the heart when deciding whether to allow us into heaven! Oh that He would work on us that we may do the same as our Lord and Savior.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for looking at the dirt and scum of this man when I came to the cross asking for forgiveness. You accepted me just as I was and You crowned me as a prince of the King of glory. Oh that we may be willing and able to look beyond the outward appearance of those that we come into contact with and assume Your eyes of faith, love and hope for all mankind. Please Lord, open our hearts so that we might assume the compassion of Your eyes, and Your heart. Perhaps today You might walk up to us in the disguise of a poor, ragged beggar. Please mend our hearts in such a way that we might bow at Your feet in humility and treat You better than the richest man on earth, or the most prestigious person we know. All are precious in Your sight and in need of a Savior. May we accept them as Your creation and love them like You loved us. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org 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 or listening to this devotional, please go to 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. 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!

Are You Ready?

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

Thursday, 2019-05-16

Bible Reference: Mark 10:17; 21
Translation: Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text:
The Question: 17 As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running to him and knelt down and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get to heaven?”
The Answer: 21 Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him; “go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—and you shall have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.”

OBSERVATION: I’m sure that I’m not alone in wanting the very best for my life, right up to, and including my death/burial, or even beyond the grave. But what are we willing to do now, in order to achieve the very best for our lives after this point in time? Perhaps an insurance policy, or perhaps the right careperson, or perhaps if we take care of the preacher and our nearest family and friends, then they will look out for us? Surely the rich young ruler was thinking about such things when he questioned Jesus. Join me as we meditate on the response from Jesus.

APPLICATION: To the poor man, who might struggle to find daily food for he and his family here on earth, the thought of one day being with the Creator of this Universe might seem appealing enough to sacrifice anything that he has today. To the rich man, who must consider waking up in a place where money or riches is of no value, or the thought of giving up all earthly goods to follow Jesus – where value comes in relationships, love, commitment to serve Jesus, imitate Jesus in all aspects of life, etc. that might appear virtually impossible to consider. But friends, the challenge of this might become clear as you consider all that the rich man does today to protect himself and his net worth here on earth, while the poor man simply lives ‘from hand to mouth’. I feel like Jesus is telling us, dear friends, that at the foot of the cross all things are equal. The poor man will come as a beggar looking for food (mercy, forgiveness and the love of the Savior), and the rich man will come just as his poor Brother – nothing of earthly value, but as a sinner, or beggar, looking for mercy, forgiveness and the love of the Savior. The other important thing to consider here is that no one else can make that trip to the cross for you. It is something that you alone must do for you alone. Have you made that step yet my friend? Have you humbled yourself, forgetting all about what this world might attribute to your success, and approached the cross of Christ asking for forgiveness of your sin and acceptance into the Kingdom of God? We have no assurance of tomorrow. Do it today while you have the time and mental capacity to do so. The benefits of that decision are eternal, and ‘out of this world’!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we are mere sinners looking into the face of a perfect Savior. Please help us to understand that there is no value in any worldly possessions or actions that will help us right our relationship with our Maker, but to seek a relationship with the Savior sent to us for that purpose. You are an awesome God! Oh what a wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord! Thank You Heavenly Father! Please touch the hearts of my readers today, and draw them to the cross. AMEN!

How God Prepares Us For His Service

On By Ed AlgreenIn God's Will, Humility, MissionsLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Acts 10:33 (VOICE)

TEXT:   33 I wasted no time, did just as I was told, and you have generously accepted my invitation. So here we are, in the presence of God, ready to take in all that the Lord has told you to tell us.

OBSERVATION:   In the preceding verses, in a dream, God caused Peter to see a sheet with many kinds of animals. Peter was astonished by this because some of these animals were ones that they (the Jews) didn’t approve of eating or being around. However God was working on Peter’s attitude, because there were certain people that they (the Jews) looked down on. This lesson was very practical, and very much needed by Peter. I wonder what God needs to work on in our lives to make us ready for His service to everyone, no matter where He sends us?

APPLICATION:   We have become so accustomed to the things that we eat, the places that we sleep and the friends that we hang out with, that it might be challenging for us to overcome those familiarities and adjust to a different culture. Let me give you an example: let’s assume that you were saved in your local church, and within a year or two you made it know that you felt God was dealing in your heart to work in His vineyard overseas. Your church sent you for some local training to help you understand the culture and the language of the country to which you have been assigned. Not long into this training you realize that there will probably be some huge adjustments that you would need to make, that you never thought possible. Perhaps it’s the food that they eat, or the plain mud houses that they live in without air conditioning, or perhaps no electric at all. Of course, no doctor within a 50 mile radius is frightening, and so is the lack of telephones or internet. In fact you are beginning to wonder how on earth does people survive in that type of environment. However, you are quickly reminded of a missions trip that you took part in when you were just a teenager. It took you into a very poor third world country where you were challenged with some very strange food, and where you really doubted if you would ever survive that short trip. However, you remembered the sweetest people there, and when it was time to leave you had the hardest time leaving them behind. Suddenly the ‘stuff’ they didn’t have became a fading memory for you. Friends, we quickly assume that when we are called to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and especially to a third world country, that it’s not just ‘those poor people’ there that we need to go and try to help, but as we open up our hearts and minds to the Gospel, Jesus will also use those same ‘poor people’ to pour into us the richness of His unconditional love, under very different circumstances to those we are used to. Let’s be very careful to not place any conditions on the places we will go, or the types of people we will help. God sent Jesus for the sins of all who would believe in Him. That’s unconditional! We should love in the same way if we are striving to be more like Jesus everyday.

PRAYER:   Lord, thank You for dying for sinners, even though many are just like me, and deserve nothing more than Hell itself. But Lord, You reached down in love and heard my prayer for salvation and responded to me in love. Having been personally forgiven and loved beyond all measure, who am I to put others in a box and place them below me? Lord please help me to love others in much the same way as You loved me. Please help Your children to humble themselves and be willing to step into the place where unbelievers live, so that we could feel their pain and heartache and then show them Your unconditional love. To touch a heart for You, we should be willing to do anything that You direct us to do. May that be the case dear Lord, for I ask this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, 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 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!