Tag: Praise

Ungrateful Hearts Complain

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

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-06-12
WRITTEN AT: Jensen Beach, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 21:4-5
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

APPLICATION: Unless with a grateful heart you concentrate on the awesome blessings of God in your life each day, you might instead very easily get caught up in the idea that you only enjoy each day what is expected for each person, each day. In other words, you may take for granted all that you enjoy – more than you could every have done for yourself with the hand of God being involved, for your good. Unfortunately, when you complain, you become depressed and despondent, like the Israelites did, when things were not going the way that they expected. In spite of all God had done for them, and all that He continued to do each day for them, yet the Israelites were ready to complain/criticize God and His servant Moses. These ungrateful people looked at and complained about there not being enough variety in their meals; and not enough water; and because of their long walk, there would probably not be enough to last. But aren’t we just as ungrateful? Perhaps we should really meditate on this picture painted for us by God. Remember the morning you woke up to thunder, lightening and rain – on a day that you had other plans, and how you whined and complained about yet another day of rain, even though your neighbor had been crying for more rain to help his garden grow better? And don’t forget about the aches and pains that we complain about to all of our friends, or the quality of the food that was provided for us out of the goodness of our neighbors last night, or perhaps the diminishing eyesight as you grow older, etc, etc, etc! Friends, if we look at life as a blessing from God, which it truly is, and if we accept all aspects of life as God-directed, God-blessed, God-ordained and God’s perfect will for our lives, then we should automatically explode in awesome praise when we awake to raindrops on our window, for God must have something awesome in mind for us! Reflect on the car that won’t start for you on that morning when you had so much planned? But isn’t it praise-worthy when you later learned of an awful wreck on the same route you would have taken that day. Was God not merciful to you and protected your path? Let us always remember, friends, our God has a plan for us and He wants to protect us and bless us beyond our ability to understand or appreciate. So let us be deliberate in praising our Master every day for all things, for He truly loves us and, I believe that, He truly wants us to flourish in His many blessings that He careful pours out on us every day. Let’s learn to live with God’s perfect plan, and not mess things up by adding in too much of our wants and wishes. God is in control, and He promised to care for our every need, if only we will let Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your loving kindness to the Israelites, in spite of their ungratefulness. Having recognized that we have not learned any good lessons from the Israelites, we must ask Your forgiveness and plead with You for Your ongoing patience with us as we learn to recognize Your goodness and Your mercy towards us. You are an awesome God, and I am thankful for Jesus and the forgiveness of my sins, so that I may call You ‘Father’. Oh how I long for my readers and I to one day look full into Your wonderful face and sing endless praises to our King! In the meantime, please help us to accept Your loving provision, direction and ultimate will for our life. You’ve got this, if only we will allow You to do Your work! 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!

The Righteous Person

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

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-06-11
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 37:30-31
TRANSLATION: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

BIBLE TEXT: 30 The mouth of the righteous person reflects on wisdom. His tongue speaks what is fair. 31 The teachings of his God are in his heart. His feet do not slip.

APPLICATION: I wonder if, in the eyes of a stranger, they would know who our Master is? Who or what drives us and influences our decisions. If they met us for the first time while we were stressed to the limit, would they recognize who is influencing our defiance, or our calm spirit, even in the midst of our ‘storm’? The Psalmist reminds us that our mouth will reflect the wisdom of the One we claim as our Master; our tongue will speak out of fairness if we claim the only true and fair God as our Lord and Savior. He goes on to give us the reason why these good things gloriously occur in our lives – because of the teachings of our God that we have allowed to indwell our hearts and control our very lives. David declared that when we allow such an influence in our lives, we stand on a solid footing and our lives will reflect the God in whom we place our faith and our trust. Friends, our lives will reflect the One in whom we place our faith and our trust. The decisions that we make and the words that we speak will be a reflection of the teachings that we have permitted to dwell deep within our hearts and souls. If we fill ourselves with evil and the things of this world, then we will make decisions based on those bad ideas and evil principles. If, however, we have filled our lives with the things of Christ, His words, His example and His character will influence the decisions we make and the words we speak. Please allow me to be the first to tell you today that the world is carefully watching you, and they are ready to jump on you with great judgment when they see you acting contrary to what they expect from a Christian. So I believe our challenge is, that when we react to a situation, we must ensure that our words and actions are aligned with Christ. This will convince the unsaved who may want to know the Source of our wisdom, our good judgment, our love for others, and our careful use of words, that the Holy Spirit resides inside of us and directs us to be good representatives of our Master. That’s the only way that we will fulfill His purpose, and help the unsaved to know Jesus. Preaching to them, or at them, will have minimal impact on them, compared to what they experience from our words and through our actions. i believe another way of saying what David shared is: Because of our sure footing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we stand firm in the will and ways of the One we serve. To see and hear us, is to see and hear Jesus! God being our helper in every situation of life!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, please help us to be more like You in every phase of our life. We know that Your ways are perfect, and that we will only reflect the attitude and character of the One that we love, adore and serve. Please inspire the lives of my readers and myself, so that others will see Jesus in everything we do or say. It’s all about You dear Lord, Oh that we may be a living example of You in every day and in every way. 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!

Use Your Gift To Serve Others

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-06-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 7 The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. 8 Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. 9 To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick 10 or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God’s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. 11 But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.

APPLICATION: A great start to this study is to recognize that these gifts referred to by Paul are supernaturally given to us by the Holy Spirit. That’s what Paul indicated. So we must not dare cower in a corner and say that we have no gift, otherwise we are calling Paul a liar, and the Holy Spirit inadequate for forgetting, or refusing to give us our gift. Perhaps we subject ourselves to the ploys of Satan, who would much prefer that we remain moot on the subject of our risen Lord, or any power that He may bestow on us. Paul was addressing this subject because the believers of his day felt they were totally unspiritual and didn’t deserve such power from on high. Doesn’t that sound so much like us today? Imagine our response if someone referred to us as holy, or spiritual, or a saint, or as powerful as Jesus Christ in performing miracles or mighty works of God. We would probably quickly refer them to our pastor, or church elder, for surely they would not be talking about simple old us, right? But unless we cast doubt on the holy Word of God, and the Holy Ghost inspired words of Paul, we must believe that God is more than able to empower us with His Holy Sprit and the gifts that He spoke to us about through His servant. So if you are convinced that you have been blessed with a gift from God, then the remaining piece of this should be natural for you: be sure to use your gift for the building up of the church and for the glory of God. How do you do that? I believe the Holy Spirit opened my eyes as I read this Scripture and showed me that when we come together as a church – a body of believers in Jesus Christ, some will have the gift of great wisdom, while others will speak with awesome knowledge. Accept these as gifts from God and allow that knowledge to saturate my mind. Others may portray unbelievable faith or even possess the power to heal the sick or perform other mighty miracles. Stop accusing them of being a showoff and give God thanks for His gift to these ambassadors. There may be some who prophesy, and some recognize the mysterious presence of God’s Spirit. While I may not have my primary language mastered, there may be some who will speak different kinds of languages, and still others who can tell what these languages mean. The bottom line is that we serve an outstanding and awesome God – in fact, He’s the One who created us all and the earth on which we reside. It is His Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us. In community, when one has a gift and shares it with others present, it’s like WE (collectively) have all these gifts! Oh that God may be glorified through each of His children, especially because they are using the gifts handed down to them from the Father, for His glory! Do your part dear friends. Use the gifts endowed upon you and bless every on that you come into contact with!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: What a mighty God we serve! Angels bow before Him. Heaven and earth adore Him! What a mighty God we serve! We must be an extraordinary for an extraordinary to consider giving us extraordinary gifts! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

PRAYER: Lord, I now believe that we are foolish to ever say again that we are just an ‘ordinary’ person here on earth, for I have been reminded of Your greatness and also how special we are in Your eyes. No doubt if we would consider everyone that we come into contact with in that same light, we would never again look down on what You have created. Unfortunately some have permitted Satan to spoil the good in them, but Lord, I pray that You would once again today remind Your children of the value You have placed in them and of the love You showed for them on Calvary. Please speak intently to the hearts of the unsaved again today, especially the ones who will happen across this devotional. Please work in the lives of Your chosen people and help us to use the gift so lovingly given to us – for the betterment of the church – Your worshippers. 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!

Cry Out To Your God/god

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-06-09
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Judges 10:13-14
TRANSLATION: New International Version (NIV)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”

APPLICATION: God had rescued the Israelites from Egypt, brought them through 40 years in the Wilderness with adequate food and water, gave them more land than they could see at one glance, and the power to overthrow nations that occupied the areas they occupied. One would think that this would be such a grateful people that their whole lives would be spent in endless praise to the Almighty God. But after repeated failures, and their ongoing search for alternate gods, we could see where God Almighty had reached the end of His patience with His people. I bet that if I had bleeped out the names of the parties in this story, you would easily imagine that this must be a story of our country and our ungrateful people today. As a vital part of this story, I believe it behooves us to look closely at what the equivalent is today for the ‘gods’ to whom the Israelites gave their allegiance to. One commentator said: “What is a god? The master passion of one’s life. What is the master passion of your life? Where do you spend your time and energy on any given day? What is the driving force within you? That’s your god.” I therefore believe you will conclude from this definition and challenge, that for those who make it a priority to get into the Word of God each day to: learn about the character, mind and teachings of Jesus Christ; those who subject themselves to Jesus through prayer and petitions; those who strive to live according to the will and teachings of Jesus Christ; – these are the ones who try to maintain the deity of Jesus Christ in their lives. For the ones who can’t sleep because of the pressures of work; they can barely think straight during the day because of the stress of everything related to their work; they will tell you over and over that there is just no time to spend talking to God or learning more about Him. These are the ones who will normally follow the example of the Israelites and run to God in times of desperate need, or in the loss of a loved one, but they will back off and return to their worldly ‘gods’ when their life-situation returns to normal. Unfortunately, these are the ones who God tells to ‘return to your ‘every-day’ god that you have chosen in place of me. Let them do the miracles for you, since you find such comfort in them every day’. Friends, that’s the same as if I would use my above example of the workplace and run to my boss to ask for a miracle with my dying daughter or my spouse with broken limbs. These ‘gods’ that we attach ourselves to are worthless in eternal matters and indeed earthly matters that are beyond their trained abilities. But our God NEVER fails, and if we are faithful to Him, He will work miracle after miracle in our lives, and He has a heavenly home awaiting us when we leave this world. My God is the Creator of this world and the Everlasting Father. If you serve any other god, please allow the Word of God to speak wisdom to you and permit God to direct your path here on earth as He prepares you for your reward in Heaven one day. I would be overjoyed at having you kneel right beside me as we see our God face to face in glory!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: For those who will take time to read the whole chapter referenced above, you will see that God still gave in to the cries of His children even after sending them away to their worldly gods. This is an awesome reminder that our God loves us unconditionally, and He wants our love in return!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I’m sure You must look on us with the love of Your Father and want so badly to bop us across the head at times for our saying with the mouth that we are a child of the King, even though we live way too much like the world. But Lord, I’m sure that’s a deception of the evil one to mislead others, and misguide them into what a true child of Christ is supposed to live like while here on earth. I believe that You created us in Your image, because You wanted us to represent You very openly, honestly and accurately so that we might be often confused for the One we represent. Just as You spoke to my hardened heart many years ago, I believe that You will also deal in the hearts of our lost loved ones, but please help us to never be a stumbling block to prevent them from receiving Your precious love and provisions. Oh that we may live and say like Paul, ‘follow me, as I follow Christ’. 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!

Will They Find Jesus?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-06-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 6:53-56
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 53 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore 54 and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 55 and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

APPLICATION: Jesus and His disciples arrived at the shores of Gennesaret from across the lake. The people on the shore immediately recognized Jesus and they instantly wanted to go and bring others to be touched by Jesus. As I read this, I wondered how, or if, this resembles our weekend services. Do people come to God’s house expecting Jesus, and even more importantly, do they find a semblance of Jesus in some form in our churches? Do they hear of the powerful healing from Jesus in our services, or is it a thing of the past that can only be read and preached about in our Bibles? The people at Gennesaret were convinced that if only their sick could touch the hem of Jesus’ robe they would be healed. Will we find faith in our community of family and friends to believe that as they make their way to God’s house, be among the people of God, and ask them to stretch out holy hands while praying earnestly in faith for the Great Healer to do His job in their lives? Will they then come with expectant hearts – believing that they too can serve our awesome God? Obviously the people of Gennesaret had heard a lot of great things that Jesus had done, and they believed He could do it again for them. Do you suppose that our people are hearing such reports from our churches and its people? I realize that often the bad news of failures, and the interference of Satan in the lives of our people, and even our church leaders, will overpower the good impact that God extends to His people. Dear friends, God said that “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV). So, I believe that God is forever faithful, never loses His power, He is always capable of healing us and our land, if only we (God’s precious and chosen people) will humble ourselves; seek His face; and be committed to turn from our old wicked ways. Remember, we are on a new path that represents the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is inside of us empowering us to live new, holy and noble lives for our King. God said in the above verse, that if He sees this happening, heaven’s doors would open wide and He will forgive us of our sin and heal our land. Dear ones, I believe that if we go to church believing and expecting the wondrous works of our God, and if we open our hearts to receive everything He offers up to us through His Word that day, then we will leave His house with such a fire inside of us that our townspeople will finally believe that there is much more to ‘church’ than the gossip and bad stuff they hear from others. If the people are expecting Jesus, and if they find Jesus in our churches, they will go and share Jesus with those they come into contact with, and our churches will once again be filled with hungry people coming to be filled with God’s sweet Holy Spirit. Try preparing your hearts for this special event next weekend. Go to the house of God to meet with God – nothing else. Sure you’ll meet some pretty awesome people, but remember your main purpose – meet with God; be filled with more of God; and leave that place rejoicing that it was so good that you were in the house of God that day!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just a touch from God, is all that we desire and search diligently for. This is accomplished when we search for God, find Him, worship Him and be open to receiving all that He has in store for us! Praise the great name of Jesus, my Lord!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please help us to never meet in vain as we search for You, and seek to worship You for Your awesome gifts that You bestow upon us. We are such a needy people and while we realize that only You can meet our needs, we often lack the faith to believe that we are worthy of Your blessings. Help us to lead a revolution much like what the people of Gennesaret did when they excitedly went out to bring the needy to the feet of Jesus. Teach us Lord to always concentrate on Your goodness, and to share that excitement with everyone that we come into contact with. Show us the lost, and lead us to help them find their way towards Your throne where they could find peace, contentment, healing and restoration. Help us Lord to have a positive impact in the lives of those who need You as Lord and personal Savior. 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!

Mercy, Because Of Who I Am

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-06-03
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 86:1-5
TRANSLATION: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

BIBLE TEXT: 1  Turn your ear ⌞toward me⌟, O Lord.
Answer me, because I am oppressed and needy.
2 Protect me, because I am faithful ⌞to you⌟.
Save your servant who trusts you. You are my God.
3 Have pity on me, O Lord,
because I call out to you all day long.
4 Give me joy, O Lord,
because I lift my soul to you.
5 You, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
full of mercy toward everyone who calls out to you.

APPLICATION: As I meditated on this today, I was compelled to stop and consider the power that David must have felt as he sat in humility and conversed with God. It is so easy for us to simply use the Scriptures to quote back at God, but can you remember the last time that you sat, quietly in your mind and spirit, and had an uninterrupted conversation with God? Sharing your very thoughts and feelings at the time with God? I’m sure that it would be well worth your time to record everything you remember about that conversation, for it might stir your mind at some point in the future when you feel out of it spiritually, or it might certainly help a loved one who is following your example. Praise God we can read and meditate on David’s time with the Lord! Not because he was perfect, but to the contrary – David was very much like us. The biggest difference is that David spent time with the Lord, and we tend to struggle so badly in putting the phone, computer, tablet, and/or television aside so that we could concentrate on the moments spent with God. Why getting up early to spend time alone with God is out of the question for many, as they try to sleep right up to the very moment they need to head out of the door for work. What really touched me in this prayer by David, is that he realized that he wasn’t perfect. In fact, he had dealt with some pretty serious sin before God. So when he took this precious time to converse with God, he didn’t just ask for a list of things, but he explained himself in each case as to why he wanted it. I went through and bolded each explanation given by David, and while God would never have demanded these explanations, I sincerely believe that it did David’s heart good to explain why he was asking for things. Wouldn’t that be an interesting process for us to explain why we are asking God for things sometimes? God already knows why we need what we are asking for, but it may certainly help us to think carefully why we are asking, and not just out of habit, routine, or as a recurring theme for our prayers. Why not stop for a moment and try this when you pray today! If it becomes a helpful thing for you to do, share with us by responding to my post. It may help us all to grow from your experience.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: I just love the Psalms, and I especially love the prayers of David as shared throughout this book! David was known as a man after God’s own heart, but yet this was a gentle and humble man who sought to know God even better and to have regular conversation with Him. I believe this practice might help us to stop and evaluate our true relationship with our God, and help us insure that we are asking God out of sincere of heart and with honest and humble intent!

PRAYER: Lord, I am so grateful for Your goodness, because You gave up Your very own life so that my sins might be forgiven. I am so looking forward to Heaven, because it is where You are, together with Your Father, and You have promised to have a place prepared for us when we arrive. But Lord I want so desperately to know that my family and friends will be joining me around the throne, because the alternative is absolutely the worse place for anyone we go. So Lord, please glorify Yourself in winning the lost that I mentioned. Soften their hearts and speak intently to their very soul, so that they may be convinced of their sin, and make every possible effort to accept You as Lord and Savior. 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!

Follow My Example

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Evangelism, Example, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-06-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 10:31-32; 11:1
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 31 So if you eat, or if you drink, or if you do anything, do it for the glory of God. 32 Never do anything that might make other people do wrong…..
11 1 Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.

APPLICATION: The more prevalent phrases we hear today is ‘Don’t follow me, for I’m also lost’ or ‘Follow Christ, for He is the only perfect One’ or ‘I’m a sinner saved by grace, just like you. So don’t follow me, but God’ But what if we brought up our kids like that? Wouldn’t they soon learn that they could do whatever they want, as long as they say the right thing? This would also be the case with pastors and church leaders, if they stood in our pulpits each weekend and told us what the Word of God says, but include the disclosure that we obey the sermon, not follow after what they do when not occupying the pulpit. Friends, Jesus said that He would only say what His Father told Him to say, and He would only do what God told Him to do. In becoming a ‘Christian’, believers are expected to follow Jesus’ example and look to God for all things, including what we say and do. But how do we do that, shall we stop and ask before we speak or before every action? That would be a great idea, but God has also made a few provisions for us, in order to help us follow in His example: For the child of God, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us as our Guide, our Wisdom, our Protector and as a constant reminder that the Love is our God; through prayer – where God hears the cries of our heart, if only we will stop and talk to Him about our challenges and our need for help; and God inspired writers to pen His words so that we might know His will for our lives, and He gave us the invitation to read His Word so that the Holy Spirit might point us to all truth, wisdom and direction for our existence and for every thing that we do or say. If we are unfaithful in these things, I can assure you that the world is seeing more itself acted out through us. For this to be a better world, and to enable others to see Christ here on earth, it is incumbent upon us to be the hands a feet of Jesus. I feel strongly that before we hold up our Christian flag to tell others to whom we belong, then we need to insure that we hold no other hold on this world. We must be sold out to Jesus in order to show the world who He is and what He is capable of achieving through His earthly servants. This may be a work in progress until Jesus returns, but please be careful to not let Jesus down by showing the world only a partial and incomplete picture of who He truly is and what He stands for. Perhaps we should consider telling our unsaved friends, come follow me as I endeavor to follow Jesus every day, God being my helper. I encourage you to look closely at the proof of whose I am, and in seeing the evidence, trust in Him, just as I have done. Ask God to help you never mislead anyone, but that you are depending heavily on Him to show the world Jesus.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: I believe that if we stake our hope in Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, and we depend on Him to guide us in the path that points to Him, through obedience we will be instrumental in pointing others towards the cross, and we could therefore comfortably invite others to follow us, as we follow Christ!

PRAYER: I wonder what our purpose on earth is, dear Lord, unless we are firm in our faith and can comfortably show others the way to eternal life. Please keep us focused on the cross, and on all that You have done for us so that our sins would be forgiven and our destination secured. Please teach us to share our faith, and may our actions and words speak so strongly that our words will be few. It is only what done for Jesus that will last and will matter. May our lives be worth the living because others saw the light of Jesus in us. AMEN!

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

Do It Again Lord!

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

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-05-30
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Pslam 85:4-7
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation.
    Put aside your anger against us once more.
5 Will you be angry with us always?
    Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?
6 Won’t you revive us again,
    so your people can rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.

APPLICATION: It is unfortunate, but way too often we tend to feel like our one vote won’t matter in a general election, or our ability to participate in the evangelistic work of our church won’t matter much in reaching the masses who have chosen to reject Jesus. But as we look at the desperate plea of Korah’s clan in this Psalm today, we will recognize that they had heard about the actions of their ancestors as they traveled through the Wilderness rejecting God and His wondrous works in spite of Him providing for them as they traveled through desert land. No doubt, they saw the love of God in still keeping up with His covenant agreement with His people by safely delivering them to the Promised Land. But, in true form to what we tend to do today, the Israelites soon forgot their many blessings and returned to their sinful ways when they felt like God’s help was no longer needed. Friends, we are living in such a time that we seem to believe that WE have everything under control, for excuses abound why we needn’t attend church; we are way too busy to find time for enhancing our relationship with God; despite what others face with health issues, we have been unaffected; despite skyrocketing inflation, we have managed to keep bread on our table and clothes on our backs, so ‘we’ve got this’. How sad for us to be so narrow-minded. When previous troubles came, we had a God that we could run to, and we were comforted, provided for, and encouraged to go on. Should this not form an indelible impact on our minds and lives that would invoke praise and adoration each and every day – even when things appear to be going well? Perhaps our daily prayer should be likened to that of Korah’s clan – ‘Please Lord, restore to me, my family, my church, and my workplace, the joy of remembering all that You have done for us. Remind us often of Your power and Your might. Forgive us when we fail to glorify You each day. Restore in us the memory of our very first day under Your wing. Refresh our desire to know You more, and to serve You better, by becoming involved in all the ways that You point us towards here on earth. Do it again Lord – PLEASE?’

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Whenever we ask God to do it again, we are remembering that He had blessed us beyond measure at least once already! He does this every day, so may we celebrate His blessings every day, and seek to share that blessing with others.

PRAYER: It’s amazing how easily we put You on ‘the back-burner’ Lord. You have made such a difference in our lives, and we can never forget Your love, forgiveness, and unending goodness towards us. When we accepted You as Lord and Savior, we became one with You and therefore represent all that You stand for. Please Lord, help us to act in a way pleasing to You and representative of You and Your goodness. Please ‘do it again’ – revive a right spirit within me, within Your church and in every one of Your kids, so that the world might see Your mighty works and Your loving and forgiving spirit. There are many around us that need to know You. Please impact their lives, and do it through us, if it pleases You. AMEN!

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

Obedience Leads To Victory

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

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-05-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Judges 7:9-11; 13; 15;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 9 That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, 10 but if you’re still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. 11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you’ll be brave enough to attack.”….
13 Gideon overheard one enemy guard telling another, “I had a dream about a flat loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into our camp. It hit the headquarters tent, and the tent flipped over and fell to the ground.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he bowed down to praise God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let’s go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”

APPLICATION: As a parent, we are used to the idea of running to help our kids overcome simple obstacles in life. As adults, we tend to continue that parental instinct to help coworkers and friends win a battle they might be struggling with. However, as long as we remain here on earth, we will always face challenging times when either we don’t have the authority to throw in our ‘two cents’ or the ability to do anything constructive in certain circumstances. Gideon must have had a good relationship with God! Because God knew that with enough convincing Gideon would eventually follow-through with His instructions. Gathering a fair sized army may have been the easy part, but Gideon saw God eliminate 10,000 of his good men. In spite of the increasing, and perhaps impossible, task that Gideon was beginning to realize, he saw God further reduce his army to 300, even while Gideon kept his eyes fixed on the very large army that settled in below the mountain where he was located. I’m sure that Gideon must have been shaking in his boots even after God convinced him of His presence and His power, but Gideon reluctantly stayed committed to the battle God led him into. Just as God knows how badly we need convincing at every step when we face our battles here on earth, He was also well aware that Gideon needed one more opportunity to be convinced that God knew what He was doing. Notice that God spoke through the enemy in a dream so that Gideon could be convinced that he was hearing instructions from the Almighty God. Doesn’t that sound so much like us? We are fine to sit in the confines of the four walls of our church surrounded by like-minded Christians, but don’t we tend to question God when we feel like He is challenging us to do things like: helping with prison ministry, street evangelism, teaching a Bible Study; sharing our testimony with an unsaved coworker or friend, or visiting His kids living out their final hours in a Hospice bed? We go on endlessly with the ‘what-if’ scenarios, to try and find the best excuse we could offer to God. Gideon had many excuses he could have used, but God convinced him to the point of bringing him to his knees in praise to the wondrous acts of his loving Father. All doubt was removed and he was confident that if God said it, he could afford to go with the plan, knowing that God was fully in control. I still get very nervous when doing any of the things I mentioned above, but I truly believe that God placed that sense in us so that we will stop and be reminded that it’s by God’s power that the sick are healed; His power that comforts the family and a loved one with only hours remaining on earth; His power that nudges us to the left or to the right as we are redirected on the right path to victory! Let us always remember that God don’t need any help from us, He just wants to see that we are convinced of His power, His love, His wisdom and His protection as He allows us to participate in His victory over life’s situations. Join me as we make every effort to let go, and let God – just as Gideon did!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In spite of the many battles we face, God in His infinite wisdom and power has all the answers, and He is willing to fight those battles – for His glory. Through our obedience to God’s perfect commands, may we trust Him more and celebrate in the victory!

PRAYER: Lord You are good, and Your mercies endure for all times! Who is man, that you should be mindful of, care about, and consider resolving our battles? You alone are worthy of our praise Lord! You alone are God, and without You mankind is doomed for a treacherous eternity in Hell. Thank You for Your continued protection over our ancestors, even through Gideon, who needed a lot of reassuring. We are convinced of Your power, and also that our battles are in good hands when we surrender them to You. Just as You were patient with Gideon, I have no doubt that extra patience is needed when You deal with us and our possessive attitudes. Oh Lord, have Your perfect way in our lives and teach us to always surrender our whole selves to You so that we may rest in the peace of knowing You, and all that You can accomplish in our lives. May others see Your works and be convinced of their need for the Savior of this world. 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!

Warnings Apply Right Up To The End of Time

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, End Times, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Warning, Warning Signs, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-05-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 10:6-11
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 6 Now, all of this is an example for us, to warn us not to desire evil things, as they did, 7 nor to worship idols, as some of them did. As the scripture says, “The people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex.” 8 We must not be guilty of sexual immorality, as some of them were—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them fell dead. 9 We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did—and they were killed by snakes. 10 We must not complain, as some of them did—and they were destroyed by the Angel of Death.
11 All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come.

APPLICATION: I pray that today your eyes will be opened to a few things:
1. That the Bible is so alive and applicable to us, even in these current days;
2. That we should try to apply the truth of the Bible in every aspect of our current-day life;
3. Learn to thank God for His warnings, and not just feel sorry for what our ancestors went through;
4. Know that the God who dealt with the Israelites, is the same God we pray to today; the same God who provides for us today; and the same God who is still capable of disciplining or punishing us today for our stubbornness and disobedience;
5. That the same God who provided a ’Promised Land’ for the Israelites, is the same God who has promised us a new world also – Heaven!
In acknowledging that the Bible is alive and how It speak to us, let me share with you that I have read the Bible in it’s entirety a few times, and yet today as I read this Scripture, it was anew and spoke very pointedly to me as if for the very first time I was reading it. In reading the Old Testament, we could easily get the impression that it’s a storybook and, after reading the New Testament and seeing all that God did for us through His Son Jesus, we may tend to feel like there is no way that God would deal with us like He did with the Israelites. But then today’s Scripture comes into view, and we see where God wants us to know that He is still God, and that He will not tolerate sin any better in our day than He did with the Israelites. Now before you share how you feel like we don’t do the sort of things like the Israelites did, such as making idols, let me remind you that an idol is ‘an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship’, or ‘a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered’. Friends, many churches are dying and some have even closed their doors, because too many of their members have found other objects to worship, and their admiration of persons or things have taken priority in their lives. It seems to me that Covid came along to test the sincerity of the hearts of our people. It worked, in that people had an excuse not to attend church. While out of touch with God (because so many use their church service as their only time to learn about God), our people have substituted that time with other personal ‘idols’ and therefore cannot get back into the habit of attending church, at least until another tragedy or scare hits them. I know, you have probably decided by now that I am way too opinionated, but let me be the first to say that my simple purpose is to point my readers and listeners to Christ through reminding them of His Word. If you discern anything other than that, then I would ask that you forgive me if I have misled you, and I would instead suggest that you personally dig into the Word of God and seek the will of God for your life. We are reminded right at the very end of today’s Scripture that the end is near. This is a reminder that you can only seek God and His righteousness while you’re alive. God said that there will come a time when He will end the world, as we know it today. The warnings for what we must do now, is evident in God’s Word. Please let me implore you to accept these warnings and redirect your life to live as Jesus desires of you through His written instructions. For the one who does this will enjoy eternity in heaven with God and His Son, Jesus. The one who chooses not to bother with this, will unfortunately endure the punishment of Hell and its Chief – Satan, for all eternity. I believe the choice is clear, but you must decide for yourself. Now it’s up to you dear friend!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God rescued His people, the Israelites, and gave them freedom to live in a new place He had in store for them. God has offered to do the exact thing for us, if we permit Him to. Praise God for His offer of salvation!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for ministering to us today through Your servant Paul. What a true awakening and what an opportunity for us today. Lord, may each reader and/or listener make the right decision today and reaffirm their relationship with You, or come to know You as Lord for the very first time. In knowing You, may we all decide wholeheartedly to obey You and give You full control of our lives until You call us home to enjoy our long-term benefits – the likes of heaven with You for all eternity! Touch hearts today precious Lord, I pray that You will have no need for another warning directed at us. AMEN!

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