Tag: Praise

Afraid To Criticize God’s Faithful Servant

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

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-03-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 12:3; 7-9
TRANSLATION: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 (Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on earth.)
7 … this is not the way I treat my servant Moses. He is the most faithful person in my household. 8 I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of the Lord. Why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moses?”
9 The Lord was angry with them, so he left.

APPLICATION: I am challenged every time I read this particular Scripture, for most Bible translations include verse 3. That helps us to understand why God placed so much faith in Moses and his will to obey Him, even under circumstances where Moses could clearly see that his leadership placed he and his people against what appeared to be, life-challenging barriers. The Red Sea; The lack of water; No food; No trained soldiers to fight Pharaoh’s oncoming army; No meat; etc. etc. It appears like Moses was pliable and never fought to have his own way, for he was considered to be ‘the most humble man on earth’! Wow, what an honorable characteristic to be known by! This might be a good time to pause and consider the words that might be used to characterize you. Will it be God-honoring? Will it be any different coming from your intimate family, than from your peers in the workplace? Whatever it is, I trust that you will be able to follow the example of Moses in verse 13, for he pled with God to heal his sister, Miriam, of the disease God had imposed on her as her punishment. But what really led me to write this devotional today is verse 8 above, for God challenged Moses’ siblings on why they would even entertain the thought of speaking against their brother – His invaluable servant. Of course, the Holy Spirit dealt with me on this, and I believe He will also challenge you to think about the individuals that often anger us. We just have so many suggestions on how they might do better. Think about:
-*- Your Spouse – you agreed before a pastor/priest/notary that since he or she was a gift from God, you would love them and care for them until separated in death. As you fight and battle with them, aren’t you also saying that perhaps God made a mistake in giving them to you?
-*- Your Pastor – You prayed and prayed with your church elders that God would bless your church with just the right man He had prepared years before to win the hearts of your community. After just a short stint on the field, you are questioning whether your pastor is saved, much less ever trained for the pastorate! You fall asleep during his sermons and you are embarrassed to hear him counsel others. Over and repeatedly you question whether you truly received a word from God on voting for this pastor. Friends, it may be time to search inside your own heart, for it is not your job to question God on who He placed in your midst. God said that He could even use stones, if you refuse to honor Him in your praises. Don’t you know that He could also speak through a man standing before you, looking to God for the right message to speak to your heart?
Those are just two examples to consider dear friends. I’m sure that others have crossed your mind as you meditated on my thoughts. When you consider the giver of these good people in your life, I would ask the same question that God asked Miriam and Aaron: ‘Why weren’t you afraid to criticize them?’ Another translation read something like this: ‘how dare you criticize my humble servant – the one I put in place for a time such as this’? God brought punishment on Miriam and Aaron for their sin. God, please bless us, forgive us, and drive us towards righteous living, filled with words and actions that may be pleasing to You, and never condemning towards a Brother or a Sister.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Because of his obedience and humbleness, God protected His servant throughout his leadership of the Israelites. I have no doubt that God will do the same for us!

PRAYER: Thank You for Your watchful eye on us, Your children, Lord! It is so easy to be sucked into criticizing others – even those ordained, blessed and guided by You. Please help us to look at all that You have blessed them with, and all the good You are able to accomplish through them. Block our ears from the noise of the adversary as he tries to pull down those whom You bless, and those who You use to reach the loss. Please teach us to lift up and not tear down; praise and not complain; bless and not curse. Also teach us to accept Your leadership in all aspects of life, and in knowing that all that You place among us will serve as Your hands and feet to a lost and dying 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!

How To Be Considered ‘Righteous’ By God

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-03-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 4:20-25
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

APPLICATION: On the basis of our Scripture, if you believe Jesus was raised from the dead, you are exercising the same quality of faith as did Abraham—a hero of faith. Think about that – at age 86, Abraham was informed by God that he would have a child later in life! Sounds almost like a joke to us today, right? But like Mary did when she was told she would be the mother of Jesus, Abraham just pondered these things in his mind. My friends, if God says it, we could believe it! Think about the pressure you might be under at this time, or the problems you might be facing, they’re nothing in comparison to the incredible faith you have already demonstrated in and through the precious name of Jesus Christ. Once a believer grasps the fact that he’s already done the hard stuff—that his belief in the Resurrection sets him apart as a hero of faith—then any other pressure or problem is a piece of cake, minute in comparison to the fact that he has already embraced the victories of the impossible. Now, if you’re a believer, your faith and salvation are based upon the Resurrection. You didn’t see it visually. You haven’t touched Jesus physically. You haven’t heard His voice audibly—but somehow you believe it. And, even though our culture mocks it, science disputes it, people doubt it—because God has graced you with faith to believe what the world doesn’t understand—anything else you’re struggling with is easy and stress-free. Compared to believing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it is nothing to believe in victory over whatever giant is before you, or whatever pressure is upon you! God knew from the very beginning of time, how challenging it would be for us to wrap our tiny brains around the idea of being righteous, like Abraham was righteous, and like Jesus was righteous. He gave us these two as mentors in the faith, but He also gave us His Word so that we might consider all things, to help remind us of His power, and the grace that He bestows on us each and every day. Jesus was the righteous Son of God. Abraham was considered righteous because of his faith, and so can we follow in Abraham’s footsteps because of our faith. How are you doing with that dear reader and/or listener?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: That mere man can be found ‘righteous’ before a holy and righteous God.

PRAYER: Who are we that a King would live and die for? Who are we that a Savior would consider ‘righteous’ while here on earth? What a blessed people we are, that God sent His one and only Son to die, so that we who believe on Him might live righteously as we anxiously await our heavenly home! Lord You are good, and Your mercies endures forever and forever! You worked miraculously in Abraham’s life, and You have been so gracious to us also. Thank You dear Lord! Please continue Your hand upon us so that others may see Jesus and want to know You personally. 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!

Observe The Faith of a Child – You Need It!

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 18:16-17 
TRANSLATION: The Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 16-17 Then Jesus called the children over to him and said to the disciples, “Let the little children come to me! Never send them away! For the Kingdom of God belongs to men who have hearts as trusting as these little children’s. And anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get within the Kingdom’s gates.”

APPLICATION: It is so challenging for a group of adults to sit in a room and come to a unanimous decision. Even more challenging for a group working on a project and agreeing to accomplish the necessary tasks in unity.

  • Jesus pointed out a few qualities that He recognized in children that, He felt are necessary even in adults. I believe we need to have a closer look at these:
    • Trust: When our child was very young, we were told that it was the best time to teach her to swim, because she had not built up the fear of the water yet. I believe she had undeniable faith in her mom and the teacher and that they were keeping a very attentive and caring eye on her. Put a child on a wall and tell them to jump to you, and generally they will jump without a second thought, because they trust their mom or dad, who’s asking them to jump. You tell a child about God, and although, like us, they have never seen God, they are convinced that God is always there watching over them. Listening to a child’s prayer will blow you away, because you could easily tell how much trust they have developed in God.
    • Faith: Although very similar to trust, a child’s faith seems to never waiver or fail – until they are old enough to experience the weakness of our faith! Think about this, we tell children about God before they could ever talk back to us, and they have faith to believe it, even though they have never seen Him. We tell them about Santa, and every Christmas they are excited with anticipation about him coming. Adults experience the healing touch of the Master; the safety of His protection; the wisdom of His guidance; and still we waiver in our faith when put to the test. Why?
    • Love: A child’s love is innocent and unconditional. When someone shows love to an adult, we tend to wonder why, or we try to discover what their ulterior motive might be. Jesus loves us in spite of what we may have done, or who we have become. We tend to doubt when we experience that kind of love. How can we possibly humble ourselves to believe that God sent His only Son to die on a cross at Calvary so that our sins might be forgiven?

So many earthly doubts have filled our minds that it is almost impossible to believe that we could, and should, assume the characteristics of a child. But friends, we sing hymns and we hear Bible teachers and preachers say it often: have faith in God. This means that: We should easily believe that God exists, even though we have never seen Him; We should easily believe that heaven is real, even though we have never seen it; We should always believe that God loves us because He said over and over again in His Word that His love has no boundaries and that His very character forms the meaning of’LOVE’. When we approach God with things we think are impossible, we tend to believe that it is impossible with Him also. Friends, my God is the One who parted the waters of the Red Sea and the waters of the Jordan River so that His people could march across on dry land! What is it again that you feel He cannot handle for you? Is your faith where it needs to be? Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you dear friends.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: To accept the love, gifts and miracles of God, just have the faith of a little child! Sounds easy enough, right?

PRAYER: Father God, Creator of heaven and earth, all-powerful and almighty in strength and power, we exalt You and we lift up Your name on high. We come before You with thanksgiving, knowing that we serve an awesome God who loves and cares for His children. Please continue to supply our needs, so that our faith might be strengthened and secure in You Lord. Please help us to do away with adult fears and doubts and assume the characteristics of a child, so that our faith may increase and our relationship with You might be inseparable. There are so many ups and downs in life today, but deep inside we know that all things are possible with God. Lord we need You every day and in every circumstance. We need You every hour dear Lord. Thank You for Your faithfulness and love. 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!

Openly Honest Before God

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

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-03-22
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 51:1-4
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Look on me with a heart of mercy, O God, according to Your generous love. According to Your great compassion, wipe out every consequence of my shameful crimes. 2 Thoroughly wash me, inside and out, of all my crooked deeds. Cleanse me from my sins. 3 For I am fully aware of all I have done wrong, and my guilt is there, staring me in the face. 4 It was against You, only You, that I sinned, for I have done what You say is wrong, right before Your eyes. So when You speak, You are in the right. When You judge, Your judgments are pure and true.

APPLICATION: The sin that David committed, might be considered horrific by many today. In fact, so bad that in hearing, or being reminded, of it, our outlook of this awesome writer of the majority of Psalms might become tainted. David had an affair with the wife of one of his good military men, and she became pregnant. In short, David commanded his military chief to place this husband (Uriah) on the front lines to make certain that he was killed in battle. Although David was convicted of his sin, God sent a messenger to warn David of his unforgiven sin. This Psalm documents the pain and agony that David felt about his sin, and also his encounter with God about his actions.

  • Instead of seeking out Uriah’s family to ask their forgiveness, David acknowledged before God that:
    • He committed this offense against God, for it was God who commanded that no one should kill a precious human being that He created;
    • He was miserable in his sin and needed his God to forgive him, while giving him strength to go on ministering and leading through the power of God;

Throughout our daily activities we may become aware of our sin. Has it ever occurred to you that when you committed that sin, that it was against God first and foremost? Without seeking God’s forgiveness, is it not like we have declared to God: ‘I know what you taught me, but that person deserved my anger; or, that company had way more physical items than they could ever make use of, so I knew that stealing from them would not hurt them?’ Did we ever stop to acknowledge God’s presence with us at ALL times, yes even when we do our evil deeds, or tell our lies? Is it not to Him that we owe the greatest apology of all for our sin? Friends, God not only sees our deeds, hears our lying and condemning words, but He also knows our very thoughts. Let’s be reminded today that we could never hide our sin from God. Also, in knowing God’s laws and commands, we should be reminded that when we disobey, we are sinning against Him first and foremost. Let’s learn to just be open and honest with Him right from the moment we are convicted of our sin. I believe we would be a whole lot more apt to be honest with others.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In spite of David’s awful sin, yet in the end, God considered him a man after His own heart. Being up front with God – acknowledging His lordship and His ultimate gift of Eternal Life, will hopefully help us turn to God first when we have sinned. Only God can forgive us of our sin!

PRAYER: Thank You for teaching us through Your servant David how important it is to seek Your forgiveness when we have sinned against You. Please prick our conscience each and every day when we have disobeyed Your commands, but even more importantly, please teach us to speak and act like You did so that we may be an honest representation of You while here on earth. We need You Lord, for Satan has an army out there that is at war to win us away from our commitment to you. For the one that many read this and want to know Jesus, I pray that this will help you to see that as long as we are here on this earth, we must be on guard against the enemy. Be ready to ask God’s forgiveness when you mess up, because you sin when you disobey His commands, even if the world never recognizes it as a sin against them. Pleasing God is a key ingredient of a child of God! 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!

You’ve Sinned, But Jesus can Save!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Forgiven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, Saved, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2022-03-22
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Romans 3:20-24
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 …. No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.
21-22 But now God has shown us a different way to heaven – not by “being good enough” and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (though not new, really, for the Scriptures told about it long ago). Now God says he will accept and acquit us—declare us “not guilty”—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like. 23 Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; 24 yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.

OBSERVATION: Because of rules, kids seem to look at parents as being ‘impossible’! So as kids grow into teenagers, they can’t wait to get out from their parents and live on their own! But then, as they start to drive, they find that there are rules, for the roads are policed according to the law of the land. And it seems that the law is set all around them in everything they approach. Often adults look at following God as being another set of rules and laws. But today I would like for you to meditate with me on this Scripture that details how God provides a much better alternative to the many laws that were established when the world began. There’s light at the end of the dark tunnel you feel stuck in! There’s hope in Jesus Christ!

APPLICATION: When God populated the earth there were many laws established to help keep a semblance of order and peace among the peoples of the earth. It quickly became evident that these laws were simply indicators to man whether he was doing something right, or whether he had messed up. Are laws really necessary? Absolutely, because we would live in a state of chaos if laws did not exist. However, God designed us to enjoy life here on this beautiful earth that He created, but He also knew that our time here on earth would be limited. He created us to worship Him and to live at peace with our fellow beings. But I don’t believe it was ever God’s intent to create disposable humans, meaning that once they die, their bodies would return to dust as a final disposition of that whole person. For God created heaven as well, a home where souls of His beloved would gather with the Father and the Son for ever and for ever. But because He created us with a free will, He wanted us to decide what our eternity would look like, without the influence or crutch of a set of laws. If we do nothing and continue to live in sin and in harmony with the world, we will spend eternity with the ruler of the world, Satan, in the pit of Hell with he and his many demons. However, in the above verses, God declares the purpose of sending His Son, Jesus. For He said that if we place our faith and trust in Jesus, He would forgive us of our sins and declare us not guilty. In other words, we would look to be as one who never sinned! Other Scripture refers to this as being ‘white as snow’; or forgiven. The saved child of God is referred to as ‘holy’, ‘righteous’, or a ‘saint’. Notice that there were no other filters placed on who could call on the name of the Lord – nothing to do with a particular race, color, country of origin, gender, etc, etc. If you are walking this earth, then you are eligible to call on the name of the Lord and place your faith and trust in Jesus, my Lord! Now let me quickly give you more exciting information that is extremely miraculous – God will make a brand new person out of you. For your desires will change to live as Jesus did when He was here on earth; you will desire to turn from your wicked/sinful ways and follow His commands; you will desire to be around people of God who made a decision like you did; you will learn to love your siblings – other children of your Father/God; your lifestyle will begin to look so much like God, that others will take note and want in on what you found! I hope you could tell that I am overjoyed to be a child of the King, and that there is nothing I desire more than for you to know that the invitation is open to you to know my Savior and Lord. Please read on through my Footnote and especially visit the link ‘To Know Jesus’. I would also suggest that you call on a partner to pray with you as you commit to this new life in Christ – a Bible teaching pastor near you, or myself, would be overjoyed to help you make the right decision. Call on us, won’t you?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank You for this reminder today. Based on Your Word, I am more convinced than ever that You will return soon to take Your chosen people, Your children who chose You as their King, home to be with You. I am so thankful that You prompted me to choose You as my King, my Leader, my Deliverer many years ago. Oh God, PLEASE speak firmly to the hearts of those reading or listening to this devotional who have been lax in making this important decision. Oh that they may decide today to trust in Jesus and be assured of their eternal destination in heaven with You. I would be forever grateful, blessed and thankful. 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!

Wedding Invitation

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

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-03-20
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 22:1-3;9-13
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

APPLICATION: When we are turned away from a banquet or a feast, we often wonder why? Or perhaps, if we were not good enough! Or if the bride or bridegroom may be upset with us. The Jews struggled to accept the lordship of Jesus Christ, so in this analogy I believe they said: “We’re too busy.” Or perhaps, “We’re not interested”. So the Father (God) said to the Holy Spirit, “Go to the highways and byways. Go to the Gentiles and tell them to come. The banquet is ready. The doors are open. Whosoever will, let him come”. See Revelation 22:17, where a similar invitation was given. The invitation was expanded for the Good and bad to come. Friends, that’s the church. That’s us. But wait a minute, Jesus said that there were some who were not ready, so how can that be the church? I’m glad you asked, because Jesus is telling us that in the church, there will be those traveling in our midst and sitting at the table who are not dressed properly. This might be quite the eyeopener for some readers or listeners, for you may have thought that if you attended church on a somewhat regular basis, then your passage into Heaven is assured. Unfortunately Jesus knew that all too well, but as we are reminded of this today, we should reexamine ourselves and determine in our hearts how Jesus will identify us, should he stand at the door as we try to enter heaven’s portal. But in all honesty, we should know from the Scriptures that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord”, is a child of the King. Many who walk through church doors try to show the pastor and church leaders that they belong to Jesus Christ, through their pretense in actions, words and giving. But to my readers and listeners, please know that unless they had a one-on-one conversation with the Master, and been accepted by the one true God, then simply a ‘pretender’, but not a ‘Christian’, or ‘Child of God’. Why do you suppose Jesus referred to the dress code of the man in His parable? What does this mean? This was quite intentional, for in Isaiah 61:10 the prophet foretold: I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.
Who then is dressed appropriately? Who is really saved? The one who says, “I need a Savior. I don’t have the answer. I’m not righteous. Lord, I need You to robe me with Your robe of righteousness.”
Friends, signs are more obvious today that this generation has ever witnessed. With the touch of a button, a greater portion of our world can be blown away. Will you be allowed into the wedding feast – the Kingdom of Heaven? Please open your heart, mind and soul to Jesus. He is waiting to welcome you into His kingdom, if only you will as Him to take control of your life.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Praise God, there’s a place prepared for me where I can spend eternity with my Father in Heaven and His precious Son! The invitation has been accepted and I have no doubt that He has the banquet prepared and waiting for the arrival of myself, and all those who have accepted Jesus as our Savior! What a glorious day that will be!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for presenting the invitation to Your glorious home in such a simple and appropriate way. We hear spinoffs of this almost every time we enter the church doors, yet many walk away still holding the reins to their life. But Lord, I pray that today this reminder will open their eyes to the need for a Savior. Without you, it is obvious to see how the world is totally out of control and convinced that their ‘red button’ is the key to ending life here on earth. You assured us through this parable that the invitation has been given. Please humble the hearts of every reader, hearer and especially every unbeliever. Impress upon them how You made sacrificial arrangements so that they might enjoy the ‘wedding feast’ – heaven. May they decide today to accept Your invitation, before it is eternally too late. 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!

God Will Not Accept Excuses

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

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-03-19
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 1:18-21
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, evil men who push away the truth from them. 19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse when they stand before God at Judgment Day. 21 Yes, they knew about him all right, but they wouldn’t admit it or worship him or even thank him for all his daily care….

APPLICATION: As I reflected on this Scripture I couldn’t help but notice how, immediately after Paul’s introduction, he got straight to the point about the purpose and drive behind his ministry. You see, there are certain things that we identify with, and that very thing becomes the fuel and drive for our ministry. We must remember that the former Paul (Saul) was heavily involved in doing some of the same things that he is now bound and determined to address with those who are still committing those sins. There are times that you and I might see a Christian doing something that we have personally been convicted about before, and we want to say something to them, but we are soon reminded that our lives are not squeaky clean. So you may wonder what should we do. I believe that this message from Paul is very revealing. Yes, Paul had been quite a character and done some very evil things, so we may wonder where he get off at in telling his audience about how bad it will be for them. Friends, we must always remember that the message we are to share is that of Jesus Christ – the Gospel. At the foot of the cross, the ground is all level, and we all stand before the Father on bended knees and a heart looking for His acceptance. A changed heart is one that has a desire to be of service to our Lord, and preach His message of salvation to other beggars much like ourselves. While left on this earth where Satan is roaming about, we will be tempted and we will sin. However, we have an advocate who sits at the right hand of the Father petitioning on our behalf. Additionally, the Holy Spirit is housed inside of us as our Guide, our Protector and to fill us with wisdom. So God has provided all the support that we will need. Let’s learn to preach the Gospel, because the examples given by Paul is still prevalent today. Unbelievers are watching closely to see if their way of life will cause us to return to our sinful life. Like Paul, let’s be strong in our faith and fully dedicated to our Lord, while preaching and teaching His Word that is capable of saving even the worst of sinners. There’s no need for excuses, for God knows every action and even every thought, so we can’t hide our sin from Him. Look to Jesus my friend! He will forgive your sins, save your soul and welcome you into the heights of heaven on Judgment Day!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: I can only sing ‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand’! God being my helper, I pray that I will stand firm with my hand in the hand of the One who died for me!

PRAYER: Precious Lord Jesus, we were reminded that without Your saving grace, we will not have ‘a leg to stand on’ come Judgment Day. Furthermore, without that grace and without the powerful hand of Jesus upon our lives, we will constantly mess up while here on earth. May it be evident from our heart, that our minds are fixed on You as we walk this challenging life here on earth. Please guide us into all truth, and help us to boldly share the Good News with all that we come into touch with. 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!

Identify Yourself With Christ

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-03-18
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 1:1-4
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Greetings from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.
God chose me to be an apostle and gave me the work of telling his Good News. 2 God promised long ago through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures to give this Good News to his people. 3-4 The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a human, he was born from the family of David, but through the Holy Spirit he was shown to be God’s powerful Son when he was raised from death.

APPLICATION: You’ve heard it before, a long detailed biography is read for a politician who is about to speak at a meeting you might be attending. Generally you will hear everything about the politician, their parents and everyone that might make his or her life appear important enough to gain our confidence, and ultimately your vote. For a new pastor being introduced to our church, we will hear about his largest congregations, his achievements, his theological degrees earned in seminary, and we may even hear his testimony. Paul’s primary focus was on his relationship with the Master, and how God was instrumental in his desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I looked at what commentators had to say about this introduction, and the Gospel in particular, I felt like I must share the best one I found: John Courson said:

‘Truly, the gospel is Good News—not just good advice. A lot of preachers, authors, and speakers try to make Christianity a bunch of good advice. Most best-selling Christian books today are full of good advice about child-rearing, financial planning, or marriage counseling. But remove the name of Jesus Christ from most of them, and it won’t affect the book at all.
We’ve got something so much better than good advice, folks. And I would encourage you to be on guard against sermons or authors, churches or organizations that give you good advice. If you can take Jesus Christ out of a sermon without affecting it, you’re probably wasting your time listening to it. If you can take Jesus Christ out of a book without affecting it, you’re probably wasting your time reading it. Paul wasn’t separated unto the good advice of Christian living. He was separated to the Good News of God.’

But to top this whole message off, Jesus gave His disciples a few conditions that would generate supreme trust in the Almighty God. I went with a group of missionaries from my church to Mexico for a week. Other than finances, the next greatest challenge was in packing minimally as space would be limited on flights and in the vans used for ground transportation. So can you imagine trying to ‘GO’ under the restrictions ordered by Jesus in (1) noted above in our Scripture? Homes were opened to accommodate the missionaries, as there were no provisions for commercial accommodations, if any existed. This has become a huge problem today, as most church members will refuse to have a missionary or visiting preacher in for a meal, much less opening their home to one. I trust that you can appreciate the difference. Most of us will do everything possible to be accepted by the townspeople in which we minister. But what do you do if you are not accepted? Jesus knew this would happen and probably disappoint His disciples, just as it would impact us, so He prepared us in advance in (3) above for such an unfortunate event. Bible scholars will tell you that Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples to go some foreign place and, when you get – tell and heal. But instead, He told them in their language that as they GO, tell and heal. It is so important that we represent God and tell the Good News everywhere we find ourselves, not just at one specific building, street corner, country or city. As you go each day, brothers and sisters, in every way possible, tell the story of Jesus and His love for everyone you meet, God being your helper and guide.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Being ‘in Christ’ and directed by Christ, helps us better identify that we are qualified to tell the Good News about Jesus Christ. With Christ, we are more than conquerers. Without Christ, we are nothing at all!

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for all You did on Calvary, for the sake of Your precious children. You created us, and because of Calvary You identified with us by fulfilling our need for a Savior, so that Eternal Life might be within reach for us. Without a Savior we would be destined for the pit of Hell. Please help us to never dissociate ourselves with that love shown through Your sacrifice. Oh that we might be like Your servant Paul, and tell the world that because of our relationship to You, and our association with You, we are more than conquerors and therefore well qualified to share the love of Jesus Christ with them. Help us to turn a deaf ear to the teachings of the evil one, who would rather us be afraid, timid, withdrawn, ashamed, and ignorant of the things of God. Your precious Holy Spirit is within us and will embolden us to overcome all of the above and instead stand firm on our faith in You – Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The world needs You. As Your representative, may we never disappoint them! AMEN!

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

The Joy of Gaining God’s Favor

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-16
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 26:3-4; 9-12;
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will ……
9 “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. 10 You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! 11 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.

APPLICATION: When someone is very special to us, and we feel indebted to them, we will do almost anything to show our gratitude and love to them. However, in the case of the Israelites, God saw that they were weak and set in their ways, so He was extremely patient with them, because they were His chosen people. Think of your own child. When they turn from the ways that you taught them during their childhood, you do everything in your power to encourage them. Perhaps giving them a hand-up, instead of a hand-out that they seem to always want from parents! When they ‘come to their senses’ they pour on the love, for they then realize that it could only have been love that provoked our positive response to their totally selfish and sometimes evil ways/words. So if God gave us the strength and wisdom to deal with our children so well, don’t you know that He was even more forgiving, patient and loving in dealing with the Israelites? Don’t you know that He’s still the same God that will redirect our path and steer us aright again, even though we may feel like no one could ever put up with our rotten attitudes? God instructed the Israelites: ‘look, all I want you to do is follow my laws and obey my commandments’, and this simple condition was followed in the next several verses with a list of things that God promised He would do. Friends, God would never allow more on us than we could handle. His laws and His commandments were given to us so that we would know what pleases Him, and to help us walk a path that imitates Him while here on earth. The more we ‘rub shoulders’ with the enemy, the more we listen to his lies and then we start feeling like perhaps God’s laws were intended for the guy next door, or that very evil person who ….. It behooves us to listen to God and His teachings, and to follow the path He has set before us. I would encourage you to join me in making every effort to draw close to God, so that He may draw close to us. When we love someone sincerely, we will seek to please them in every way. Let’s commune with God each day; seek to know Him better; and obey His laws and commands because of our dedication and love towards Him. He promised a lot to the Israelites in return for their obedience. I can’t even imagine what else He has in store for us, because His daily blessings already seem more than enough.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: No greater and encouraging words that those of our God: ‘I will be you God, and you will be my people’! What a blessing to be reassured that we are children of the Most High God!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, please teach us to pray; encourage us to read Your Word; and to always call on You for everything we desire here on earth. As we learn from Your Word and receive direction from You, may our heart be willing to live by Your law and obey Your commandments. May we always seek to do Your will, and not follow our own inclinations, because we want others to see Jesus, not anything that might give us credit for. Lord, Your promises are true and we can depend on your Word. Teach us to obedient servants who always honor and worship our King. 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!

What Will It Take For God To Heal Our Hearts?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Healing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2022-03-16
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Acts 28:25-27
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 25 …. “The Holy Spirit stated it well when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah:,
26 ‘I send you to this people to say to them, “You will keep learning, but not understanding. You will keep staring at truth but not perceiving it. 27 For your hearts are hard and insensitive to me—you must be hard of hearing! For you’ve closed your eyes so that you won’t be troubled by the truth, and you’ve covered your ears so that you won’t have to listen and be pierced by what I say. For then you would have to respond and repent, so that I could heal your hearts.”’

APPLICATION: Isaiah was a prophet sent and directed by God. When he prophesied under the inspiration of God, the people listened. However there came a time when God recognized that some of the folk were just not listening. Paul came across this same phenomenon in his days of ministry, so he shared this with his Jewish listeners who were challenged to believe the Word of God. I found this extremely revealing, because still today our pastors can preach the same sermon in our churches, as it is quite apparent that we’re present in the service, but from the blank stares and lack of participation, it is obvious that we are miles away. Think about it: we have folk that attend church who hear the Word of God, but they are convinced that it is for the person behind them. Their ears are shut to the application of the Word to their personal lives. However the most hurtful thing to me, are the ones that just refuse to listen and believe. It saddens me deeply how God has to send a disaster to awaken the hardened hearts of His people. Our churches were filled for a few Sunday’s after 9-11 and after our major hurricanes in Florida, as folk found the need for God to protect them and help them through that time of disaster. Then, as soon as they felt they had regained control, life went back to ‘normal’ for them. God is not trying to impose Himself on anyone, He just wants to heal us and give us the very best He has in store for us. Isn’t that a good thing that we should always desire? Friends, God has blessed us with so much, yet we use these gifts to oppose the very One who has blessed us. We have great knowledge, yet we reason away on why we are blessed, or not blessed, instead of giving all praise to God. We have great eyesight, yet like the prophet Isaiah said, we screw our eyes shut to the things of God and therefore preclude His healing and amazing blessings on us. Our hearing is perfect, yet we allow Satan to interfere and tell us that the Word of God is intended for that neighbor of ours who is much worse than us. The very last phrase of the quote from Isaiah really touched me: we have shut out everything about God because we don’t want to deal with our Maker, yet if only we would change this, He would heal our hearts! I believe this healing is one of not just our physical sickness, but also our disappointments, our brokenness, our loneliness, our defeats and ultimately, our sin. Friends, I serve a God just as I have described, and I would love to introduce you to Him. He will make your day brighter and so much more meaningful and purposeful. Please contact me if I can pray with you or help you in any way with this important decision. This could be the first of many days of joy in the security of my Lord! For those of you that know Him, please act like you do. Sing that song ‘Just a closer walk with thee’, then open the precious Word of God that He left just for us, and see what it is that He is ordering you to change or correct in your walk with Him. Open your eyes to the hurts and needs of those around you, and pray, pray, pray that God will intervene and heal His people today. They have tried the world and all it has to offer, but they are still lacking in so many ways. They need Jesus, my friend. I believe that one of His servants can help them redirect their lives today. Let it be you, dear follower of Christ!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, in spite of Your gracious hand upon Your people, and Your outstanding blessings poured out on us, yet You must be saddened by seeing us exclude You from our decision making, exclude Your active role in our lives when praise is directed towards us, and especially ignore You when You speak to us about the lost condition of our lives. I clearly got the picture in this scripture today, You want to heal our heart, yet we say ‘No thank You’. Father I thank You for softening my heart and giving me the boldness to accept You as my Lord and Savior back in 1976. I have many family and friends who are still hardened and refuse to make the necessary commitment to accept You as their Lord. Please humble them and soften their hardened hearts again today so that they may commit the rest of their lives to You and allow You full control, and ultimate healing of their sin problem. Dear God, there are important decisions we make every day, but none as important as the one that decides our eternal fate. My sincere prayer is that this will become very evident to my lost relatives today, 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!