But God….

On 2021-03-102021-03-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-03-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Exodus 3:9-12
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT:
Eternal One: ⁹The plea of Israel’s children has come before Me, and I have observed the cruel treatment they have suffered by Egyptian hands. ¹⁰So go. I’m sending you back to Egypt as My messenger to the Pharaoh. I want you to gather My people—the children of Israel—and bring them out of Egypt.^[c]
Moses (to God): ¹¹Who am I to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel’s children out of Egypt?
Eternal One: ¹²Do not fear, Moses. I will be with you every step of the way, and this will be the sign to you that I am the One who has sent you……

OBSERVATION: Being around some young people recently and hearing their stories of challenges that kids are dealing with today, it reminded me how easily our minds are swayed by peers. It sounds like kids today are challenged with believing in God, because they are confused why God would do God-like things – such as hating sin; loving everyone – even sinners; disciplining those He loves – as any good father would do; etc. As we meditate on the encounter Moses had with God, and the God-sized task given to him, let’s carefully examine our own lives and especially the times that we question God.

APPLICATION: Allow me to share a few personal experiences that may help me better illustrate what I believe happened in the life of Moses when he encountered God on Mount Horeb. The job I held in the Bahamas took me to several Family Islands. At one of them, I found my way to the house of God on Sunday, as was my custom. I was told that there was no preacher for the following Sunday, so there would either be no church service, or Brother Ed (myself) could volunteer to lead us. Like Moses, I responded in awe and quickly told them that I was not a preacher. BUT GOD in His infinite wisdom, gave me a word to share with His people the following Sunday, and for several Sundays while I was employed on that island. At another island, there was a similar experience with leading the Youth Group at the church we attended. God convinced me to serve there, and He was consistently by my side as the young people were ministered to each week. At yet another island, there was a need in the radio broadcast from the church we attended. Absolutely no experience, BUT GOD led me to help in that work for the years I served on that island. Coming to the USA, there was first a need to teach a Sunday School class. Again, no experience with that, BUT GOD in His wisdom gave me the necessary skills to teach for about 25 years while at that church. Additionally, a need arose for a Music Director. I loved to sing, but had no clue about the different notes or timing or anything else about music, BUT GOD gave me the wisdom to not only lead the congregation, but also the choir, for a number of years. I could go on bragging on God, but I believe you may have gathered from my examples that God is merely looking for our availability and not our abilities. I felt a lot like Moses in that the people knew it had to be God doing the work, because Moses wasn’t qualified in what he was called to do, nor was I. It is natural for us to look at our qualifications and experience when called on to complete a job, but as children of God we must never forget that it’s God who should be credited for the job we do, as we are way too much like Moses – we’re not qualified; we’re just a nobody; the authorities probably have never even heard of us; etc. BUT GOD is infinite in knowledge, wisdom, mercy, and His great love for everyone that He created. I trust that as you meditate on this word today, you will reflect on all that God has proven, promised and completed already, and that you will be reassured that even though you have no personal qualifications for the work needed at your church and in your community, you serve an awesome God who can do all things in and through those who place their trust in Him. He’s a great BIG GOD who can do way more than we could think or imagine. Trust Him today dear friend. Know Him today dear sinner, and experience the love that surpasses all understanding!

PRAYER: From a burning bush You challenged Moses with a task that seemed totally impossible to him. He had no governmental experience nor any passes for the royal palace, yet You chose him to stand in Your stead before the king who was responsible for mistreating Your people. Most readers will probably feel like they would never be asked to take on such a challenge, however we were reminded of the power of our awesome God who used a simple messenger like Moses to not only deal with a wicked king, but also lead a multitude out of Egypt. What a mighty God we serve! 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!

Overwhelmed By The Power of Jesus

On 2021-02-202021-02-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, God's Power, Miracles, Needs, Power of God, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-02-20
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 14:32-33
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ³²And the very moment they both stepped into the boat, the raging wind ceased. ³³Then all the disciples crouched down before him and worshiped Jesus.^[j] They said in adoration, “You are truly the Son of God!”

OBSERVATION: Think about a time in your life where you witnessed the awesome power, love and/or grace of the Master. As you do, I believe you will better identify with the disciples who had just witnessed the miracles of: walking on the water; saving a distracted disciple and calming the rough and troubled waters around them. Perhaps you also will be refreshed in your spirit and led to the feet of the Master where you will simply and sincerely worship Him, because you are reminded of the true Son of God!

APPLICATION: What might your ‘rough waters’ look like today? You know, the ones that may be causing you to feel all alone – even by the Master? These might be: Perhaps sickness – for we have sure heard about more complex, no cure type sicknesses lately; Perhaps loss of loved ones – for this COVID virus has been responsible for many deaths, including some of our very closest relatives; Perhaps rough financial waters – for many have been unemployed over the past year while businesses closed to help ward off the spread of the deadly COVID virus. Whatever it is, we just hurt, and we feel so alone – in fact, we sometimes feel like Jesus must have passed right on by us. As we reflect on this Biblical story, I believe that Jesus must be amused at times with His children! I’m sure that when the storms arose on the lake that night, the disciples must have been crying out to God for help? Yet when Jesus approached, the disciples were afraid that it was a ghost! Were they not expecting God to respond to their cries for help? What about us, don’t we seem just as shocked and surprised when we see help coming our way? In fact, don’t we tend to immediately think that we have fallen into ‘good luck’? Oh for the faith of Peter once he received confirmation that it was Jesus approaching the boat, for Peter asked Jesus if he could also walk on water towards Him. Yes, he asked Jesus to perform a miracle by having him do the impossible in man’s eyes – walk on water. There are a lot of sermons preached around the idea of this miracle and all that took place, but I would rather have us apply this scenario to our own personal situations where we cry out to Jesus in our times of need. How often are we willing to ‘step out of the boat’ (a secure place) and trust God to do all that He is capable of doing? My mind goes to a kidney donor who knows that they could save the life of a loved one or friend if they donate their kidney to them, but how many are willing to risk their own lives in the bold effort to donate and extend life for a loved one? There are some neat examples of the power of our awesome God in this story that might give us confidence: The disciples had been rowing all night (it was about 4am when Jesus met up with them) yet Jesus got to them just in time to help save them. He may have walked the whole way from the edge of the lake, or He may have just appeared a short ways from the boat. Nonetheless, He miraculously caught up with them without a boat. These men had never before seen anyone walk on water, as they were always of the understanding that was impossible, yet Jesus did it, and He authorized Peter to do it. This was no ordinary man! As Jesus and Peter entered the boat, the rough waters subsided. God made the waters, and only He could manage their actions, so the men immediately knew that Jesus was indeed God. So what about us? Do we need a personal miracle like Peter and the disciples witnessed? Or can we, in faith, believe that the same Jesus who walked on water, had Peter walk on water, and calmed the waters of the lake, is the same Jesus who we call on for our respective needs today? Friends, our Father is very capable of still performing miracle after miracle even for us. There’s no problem or difficulty that God can’t handle, and we know that He loves us immeasurably, so we must have faith to believe that He will ‘walk on water’ or take whatever steps necessary to help us in our time of need, hurt and/or difficulty. Like the disciples who witnessed all that took place that night, imagine how we also will bend our knees before the Father and worship Him from the overflow of blessings, healing and love poured out on us. Friends, we serve an awesome, all-powerful God who is able to not only meet our needs, but to exceed our wildest expectations. Let us worship Him from the very depths of our heart for all His goodness today and every day.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I have no doubt that You are well aware of the ‘rough waters’ my friends and I are facing these days here on earth. Thank You for reminding us about the way You arrived on the scene of trouble for Peter and his fellow disciples at just the right time. Many times we feel like we are in a state of urgency and need You here with us at your earliest convenience. What a comfort to know that our Father is all-powerful and very capable of handling our ‘rough waters’ when we call on You. Please continue to guide us, protect us and reassure us of Your love, and that You will once again walk on water, if need be, to meet with us and handle our emergency. We love You Lord, and look forward to being in Your presence where we might worship You endlessly. While here on earth, please use us for Your glory, to encourage others who need You. AMEN!

The Master’s Touch

On 2021-01-282021-01-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Healing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-01-28
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 9:18-22
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: ^18-19….. a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, “My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along.
^20-22Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” …..

OBSERVATION: Most people will quickly turn to the medicine cabinet for over-the-counter drugs that might give relief for most common physical issues that arise. But what do we do when our problem is recurring or more advanced than a common cold or a sore muscle? In Jesus’ day, there were no doctors with quick cures, so from our two examples in today’s Scripture, we could see that people sometimes sought the help of their Designer and Manufacturer – Almighty God. Have you gained confidence in knowing that a ‘Touch from God’ is all you need?

APPLICATION: There are two important pieces to each of the encounters with Jesus in our Scripture today: Faith, and Healing. Notice the ‘If’ statements to see faith in action. ‘If You come and touch her’ – in other words, I believe the official was saying to Jesus from a heart filled with faith: If you come and touch her, I know she will come back to life again. Friends, that is huge. Mend a broken heart, or heal a broken arm, or cause her to see again, those are all things that Jesus had done already, but to bring the dead back to life again? That’s a whole new dimension of faith. In the second example: ‘If I could just put a finger on His robe’ – it was like the lady was convinced that she would be healed, if only she could get close enough to touch any part of this powerful God-man. In both of these cases, Jesus saw that there was great faith being exemplified. He turned to the lady who had touched his garment and assured her that because of her faith she was healed. Just a touch from the Master! At the home of the official Jesus simply helped the young girl up. Just a touch from the Master! Of course we could rejoice beyond measure about these miracles, but what about the circumstances that you and I face? We serve the same Master, and I believe He has the same power today as always. But how is our faith? Many don’t find the time or have the desire to attend church, so will they really walk along the road to find the Master So that He may meet their urgent needs? Do any of us have the faith to boldly approach Jesus and ask for healing for ourselves or our family? Not only faith to ask, but faith to believe that it’s worth asking, because we know Jesus has the power to heal, and we are ready (in faith) to acknowledge His healing? Friends, I am convinced that if we truly believe in Jesus, and we acknowledge that His healing power demonstrated in the Bible, then I can only believe that we should have faith to know that He can do it again, even for us. We have many diseases where a cure is either non-existent or not available to man, but is there anything too big for our God? He is greater than all our problems and diseases, let’s just seek refuge in Him and seek His healing touch as and when needed. Peter had faith, and he walked on water. Moses had faith, and the sea parted before him. Show God your faith dear friends and watch Him perform miracles right before your eyes.

PRAYER: Thank you for your awesome touch on my life dear God. From a life of sin and rejection, You touched me and made me whole – righteous in the sight of a holy God. My readers and I stand before You again today, knowing that we have family and friends dying from such awful diseases as cancer and COVID. We are reminded in today’s Scripture that You healed the lady with an issue of blood, just through her simple touch of your garment. Plus we were reminded that even death itself has no hold over Your awesome power, as You simply touched the young dead child, and helped her up again. What a blessing to be reminded of the super powers of our Almighty God, and to know that we are a vital part of Your family. We believe dear God, please help us in any unbelief that may exist. We have faith dear God, please help us in any doubts we may have. May others see and believe. Because of the faith they see in action in our lives. AMEN!

Saved… Now What?

On 2016-04-132016-04-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love othersLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for your blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Peter 1:22–23
Today’s Bible Text: You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation

My Take Away: In a Prayer Conference a few months ago we were encourage to sometimes say why we are praying for certain things. The way to pull that into our prayer is to use the words “so that…”. So I might pray for a missionary going to the Bahamas, so that the most hardened hearts might be touched with the gospel and that crime would decrease and the work of the Lord increase. Peter is reminding us that we should not only be thankful that we were touched by the Holy Spirit and redirected towards the Savior, but now that we are saved from our lives of sin and eternal damnation, we have an obligation to duplicate that love that reached down and loved us even in the self-destructive life that we were living, to now show that same love towards those that we come into contact with. In our attempts to duplicate God’s love for us, we should always be reminded that God loved us just the way we were – He didn’t change us first then love us. We too will be challenged to love those who may appear to be unlovable, or very challenging to deal with. Friends, God has commanded us to love one another – period! It’s a given that this will include those who are easy to love, and those who will challenge our real faith and trust in the Lord. Let’s remember that we are to trust in the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind. As we do that, we will quickly realize that it is the power and love of God within us, that will reach out in love to those who may seem unlovable to mortal man. So I believe that we must love with all that is within us – especially the Holy Spirit. Because He first loved us, we have proof that He can also love the hardest person we know, through us. Through obedience to God and our dependence on His awesome Holy Spirit, we can love even the most challenging people, friends! Trust Him today and let Him be God through you in all that you do in His name, and for His glory!

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for loving each of us with such deep affection, that You were willing to give up Your Son in death on a very cruel cross, just so that we could have a chance at one day being with You in heaven. What amazing love, and what a sacrifice! Thank You Lord Jesus. There will be ones that will cross our paths today that we will stop and wonder how we could ever love them, or show them Your grace. With the same love that You showed for us, I pray that we will sincerely look to You for power and grace to love others. Thank You heavenly Father for using even us to touch the hearts and lives of others. May we be totally obedient and submissive today, all for Your ultimate glory, AMEN!

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

2016

Impossibilities to Man Are Very Possible With God!

On 2015-02-132015-02-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Contemporary English Version – Jeremiah 1:4-8): ⁴The Lord said: ⁵“Jeremiah, I am your Creator, and before you were born, I chose you to speak for me to the nations.” ⁶ I replied, “I’m not a good speaker, Lord, and I’m too young.” ⁷ “Don’t say you’re too young,” the Lord answered. “If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell you what to say, don’t leave out a word! ⁸ I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don’t be afraid.”

Thoughts: I find it interesting how Moses felt unworthy to be used of God for the awesome job of freeing his people from slavery. Excuses such as unable to even speak properly, much less being used by God to lead a large number of people. Again with Jeremiah as he was told by God that he would go and speak to all the nations, he also found excuses to give God about his inabilities. In the New Testament we are told about tax collectors, fishermen and doctors, to name a few, that were called to share the Word of the Lord with others. As I look closer to our current times, I hear of great pastors and evangelists whose parents, school teachers and/or friends would never have projected their future to be in the ministry of Jesus Christ. In trying to imagine how these men must have felt, I thought that perhaps the reason for their doubt, or initial refusal, may have been their humility. Imagine with me for a moment, that the King of all kings were to visit us and tell us to leave our workplaces, our homes, our friends and our families and head out to a foreign country to speak with their king about all that he is doing wrong. No longer than it took you to read this devotional I bet you would have your bags packed and ready to go, right? I bet that not! But yet that’s how impossible these awesome tasks were to these great men of God when they were first given their orders. Friends, I believe that our takeaway in this scripture today is to note that:

God can, and will, call the unqualified to do a work that must easily be credited to His mighty hand at work in accomplishing the task assigned;
God made us, and if He could make a donkey to speak back to a troubled servant of His, I’m sure He can provide the talent, boldness and means to accomplish the work He assigns to us;
God often chooses the most unlikely servants to do His work. It must always be evident that it is God busy at work, not some smart, talented bold servant that He could choose to do the work;
To decline an invitation given by God is actually disobedience, because He really has the work cut out for YOU to do, not the qualified theologian you feel better able to do the job.

Friends, my take on this is that we are to be so attuned to God each day that we will understand His will and His call on us to do His work, and when He calls, we must be ready to follow through in obedience to Him. Please consider making this a day of tuning your life into alignment with God!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please prepare us for the work You have in mind for us. Please keep us so aligned with You on a daily basis that we will easily recognize Your voice and Your commands so that we may quickly follow in obedience to Your call. Thank You for considering the most unlikely people, in our minds, to accomplish the great work that You are ready to do in our midst or through our lives. It is my desire to see Your will accomplished, and to welcome opportunities to use my talents and/or availability for Your service. Please tender the hearts of my readers to recognize You as Lord, and to follow in obedience to Your call, should You desire to use us for Your work and Your glory! Bless us again dear Lord, is my humble prayer that I ask in Your glorious and wonderful name, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!, and

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Power of God