Tag: Praise

Taken God For Granted?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Thank You Jesus, Thankful, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2021-08-17
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Deuteronomy 32:3-6
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord; how glorious is our God! 4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!
5 “But they have acted corruptly toward him; when they act so perversely,
are they really his children? They are a deceitful and twisted generation.
6 Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Isn’t he your Father who created you? Has he not made you and established you?

APPLICATION: Although it might be extremely challenging for us to admit that we are just as ungrateful as the Israelites were, I believe that we should always look for ways to show appreciation to our Master. Here are some ways that I believe will help us to show our appreciation to our faithful God:
– -> Speak to Him at least daily – prayer;
– -> Listen to Him at least daily – Bible reading;
– -> Obey His commandments – not just the 10 given in the Old Testaments, but all the comands given by God for our good;
– -> Love God – you know how to show love to your parents, siblings, spouse, children and others, so show love to the God who created you and watches over you each and every day;
– -> Love your neighbor – Love God and love your neighbor are listed as the two most important commandments, and around which all the others are built. Your neighbor is someone that you cross paths with who has a need. Love them, by meeting their need;
– -> Worship the Lord your God – For those whom you love, respect and adore, you tend to worship. Make it dileberate to worship God, personally. You don’t need church services to worship God. In fact, if you worship God personally on a regular basis, you will be more apt to join other believers in worshipping God corporately. God is looking for our worship, not just the worship by other believers who may be near you;
– -> Obedience and unselfishness – Ask God to teach you to do the things that please Him most. We tend to always default to the things that come easy to us and that makes us feel good about ourselves. In showing appreciation to God, you should take your eyes off self, and look for ways to please and honor God. Remember, God knows your heart and He knows your very thoughts, so you fool yourself when you think you could fool God. Be honest with Him and give Him your heart;
We could never ‘repay’ God for all that He has done for us, but we can show our appreciation for all that He has done, and continues to do in blessing us every day! Please strive to never take for granted the God who gave up His only Son for your eternal benefit. He is worthy of our everlasting praise and honor!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Show appreciation to God for His unending blessings towards us!

PRAYER: Lord, I am thankful that You are so gracious to us, even though our praise in return may appear weak and almost non-existent at times. Thank You Lord for all Your mercies and for all that You have done for us. Please forgive us for our ungratefulness and, make us ever so aware of your goodness. Thank You for Jesus and thank You for eternal life, that is only possible because of Jesus. You blessed the Israelites and we tend to jump on their case for being so ungrateful, but Lord, I need to ask You to touch our hearts so that we would never be found guilty of being ungrateful. You are our King, and we adore You Lord Jesus. Please forgive us of our sins and fill us with grateful hearts to always praise and worship You oh Savior divine. 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!

With All Confidence, Trust Jesus

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

DATE POSTED Monday, 2021-08-16
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 14:13-15
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”

APPLICATION: The disciples on the lake late one night in boisterous waters gained confidence in the Lord when they saw Him walking on water, and then He calmed the rough waters. They knew His power, because they watched as many miracles were performed in their presence. But seeing first-hand what He was capable of, and how He saved their lives, they grew to be way more confident in His almighty, awesome, power. Jairus had a similar experience when He leaped outside of his Jewish faith and asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter. By the time Jesus arrived at the home of Jairus the child had ‘died’, at least in the eyes of the family and friends present. But Jairus watched as Jesus took his daughter by the hand and helped her to a position of the living! His faith in the miracle-working Jesus jumped to a whole new level that day, for his child who once was dead, stood before him in perfect health! Jairus knew that it was only Jesus, who could raise the dead. In our story today we are reminded of the awesome power of Jesus Christ. For only He could tell His disciples what to expect in actions and words, and with such precision. Can you imagine their expressions as they saw everything coming to pass just as He said? But for us, dear friends, we have a lot of proof available to us in the Word of God, that this same God we serve, is the same One who spoke this world into existence. The same God who created you and I. The same God who told us in His Word that that ‘if we humble ourselves, seek His face, and pray, then He would heal our land and forgive our sins’. With the confidence that this message brings us today, is there anything too big for our God? Can Covid stump Him or challenge Him beyond His ability to heal us, and our land? Many of our loved ones are struggling today, and that may also include many of my readers and listeners. Please go out in faith today, knowing that there is nothing too big for our God. Nothing is impossible for Him. But let me be quick to remind you also, that God told us in His Word, that He has not promised us tomorrow. Be ready for His return and/or your in-person meeting with Him today, for it’s up to God alone when He decides to call you home. It may not be Covid, and it may not be any known health issue you are dealing with, our God holds the key to your life. Be ready to meet Him today. Tomorrow will take care of itself, if you’re around to enjoy it here on earth. If not here, then there is no greater joy than being in the presence of Jesus!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our God sees and knows all things. I must trust Him with all my heart, soul and mind, God being my helper!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You know what we need and when we need it. This word was so encouraging today, because everywhere we look, it seems like everything is out of control and meeting with disaster after disaster. But praise be to God, You have reminded us in Your Word that You know exactly what’s ahead, and what’s around the corner. I have no doubt that You knew about Covid long before it ever surfaced to humans, and I know without a doubt that regardless of man’s attempts to find good medical solutions to save us, You are still the same miracle working God who created us, and You have made Yourself available to u,s even today. Lord, may Your will be doing and may Your kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN!

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

He’s My Rock, Especially in Time of Trouble

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

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2021-08-15
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 46:1-3
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble – more than enough and always available whenever I need you. 2 So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away. We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. 3 For the raging roar of stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith in you.

APPLICATION: My wife and I have a relative who has been in hospital about two months, most of that time being on a ventilator. Not only was his family prohibited from visiting with him, but they are facing mortgage and automobile payments, plus mounting utility bills, while their primary bread winner lies incapacitated and without his usual income. Understandably they are questioning what will they do? In my Old Testament Scripture today, the Israelites were facing a ‘giant’ as they stood ready to cross the Jordan River to take up new residence in their Promised Land. Not only were they facing huge armies, but they have just been notified that their leadership is also changing. No doubt they also had many questions about ‘what will they do’? Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and after facing many personal challenging situations, David wrote the Psalm we are meditating on today. You see, David knew that like him, his ancestors and his descendants have either faced, or will face, extreme circumstances where they could only look upward and acknowledge before God that they have no answers or insight into what they should now do. Friends, our world leaders today are right at that same place in pondering ‘what will they do’? For the man-made vaccine they produced to prevent the spread of this disease, has merely slowed down the impact, but even to vaccinated individuals are forced into already filled hospitals because they are about to die from the impact of this disease. Hospital beds would have to be emptied by dying children, before additional infected children could be admitted, according to one US State official. Have we not reached the same dilemma, the same ‘giants’ as the Israelites, and as David faced? I believe that God knew all about the challenges we would face that we would have no truly known cures for, so He had David share these encouraging words with us: ‘You, oh God, are a proven and safe place for us to turn to in these troublesome times where we have no real proven man-made answers. Because of all that You have already proven to us throughout Your Word, we know without a doubt that You are a proven source of help for those who have placed their faith and trust in You. Our mountains of faith are shaking, and the earthquakes of failed attempts by doctors and others are making us question each day ‘what else is coming that will be worse than we have today?’ You alone are God, the One who created this world and each of us that run around in it. You know the ones who have thrown their hands up and conceded to the defeat of crime, dreaded diseases, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. So I believe that the rest is up to us, we must now look to You more than ever before to take our hand and lead us through these rough waters, these troublesome times and these circumstances that we seem to have no real worry-free answers for.’ I’m Yours Lord, please take my readers/listeners and I by the hand and lead us through, while easing our minds to all that’s going on around us.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus is more than enough to satisfy our needs and our ailments, and He is available at all times – even though hospitals may be filled and doctor’s offices closed!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, we stand very flustered and almost worried about the outcome of family and friends who are fighting for their lives because of Covid. We often shelter ourselves from the world, because we know that there is nothing else this world’s doctors and hospitals could do. But then we read the words You inspired David to share with us, and we are reminded that there is One greater than all our diseases and worries. You designed and created these human bodies. You know what impacts our bodies, and you stand ready to help us fend off diseases or anything else that might cause us grief. Lord, I just want to say thank You for accepting my plea to know You and to draw close to You. Because of that, I can freely look to You for EVERYTHING in life. Please calm our fears and protect us from the evil one and any diseases that may threaten us. May this serious time in our lives serve to draw us closer to You and depend fully on You for every phase of life. We are anxious to enjoy all the blessings of heaven that You have prepared for us, but we would really like to stay here as long as You desire, so that our lives might influence the unsaved. Please be our comfort and stay while every day ministering to the needs and challenges 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!

Choose Life!

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

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2021-08-14
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Deuteronomy 30:19-20
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long….

APPLICATION: Some may take my subject for today’s devotional as a pro-life theme, while others may ask ‘who wouldn’t want to choose life over death?’ But I would encourage you to look beyond your assumptions today and consider the message that Moses gave to his people. He not only gave them the choice of life over death, but he clearly showed them what they needed to do in order to have life, and have life more abundantly. Since these things still apply to us today, I believe that it is worth our while to spend some time to understand them and to seek ways that we might apply them in our lives:
——> Loving the Lord – In other Scriptures, Jesus admonishes us that if we love Him: We will serve Him; We will worship Him; We will tell others about Him; We will desire to be with Him. These words are not strange to us, for our spouse will frequently tell us that if we love them, we would…. You see, there is always evidence of our love for God, and for each other. So love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind, and all these things will be given to you!
——> Obeying the Lord – To disobey your God, your spouse, your boss or your friend, shows that you have no respect for them or their authority over you. To obey what they ask or tell you to do, shows that you love, respect and honor them, so you will do whatever they ask. So show you love for the Lord by obeying His commands!
——> Committing yourself firmly to the Lord – To whom do you belong? If it’s God, then firmly commit to Him in every aspect of life. I don’t know that it’s possible to say that you love the Lord and you obey the Lord, but you have not fully committed your life to Him. Show me an uncommitted ‘Christian’ and I believe you will show someone who follows Jesus when it is convenient, otherwise it’s all about him or herself. I always got a kick out of politicians who showed up at community groups right before election time. At other times of the year they were no where to be found. They showed up when they needed the people, not when the people really needed them to serve!
Moses told his people, and I believe the Scripture supports a very similar promise for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ – do these things and you are choosing life eternal – in heaven. Continue your selfish desires and ignore the commands of Jesus, and you will receive your heart’s desire – curses and damnation in a place especially designed for folk like you – Hell. Just as Moses did in our Scripture, let me repeat the same plea ‘Choose life’ my dear friends!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We can escape the damnation of eternity in Hell, by loving the Lord our God, obeying Him, and committing ourselves firmly to Him. By doing these things we are promised eternity in heaven with the Father and His precious Son!

PRAYER: Thank You precious Lord for calling me to Yourself many years ago, and for granting me peace to obediently follow You today and every day until You call me home to glory. Please touch the hearts of each reader/listener with Your Word today and may every word shared by Your faithful servant be acceptable in Your sight and in the hearts of every reader or listener. May we enjoy Your blessings today and every day, until You call us home for even more intimacy with You and the Father. Please draw the unbeliever to You very powerfully today, as this may very well be the last day we have here on earth. 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!

Authorities Threatened By Christians

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2021-08-13
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 9:1-3; 5-7;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT:  1 Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases. 2 Then he sent them to tell about God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 He told them, “Don’t take anything with you! Don’t take a walking stick or a traveling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes.
5 If people won’t welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them.”
6 The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.
7 Herod the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried…. 

APPLICATION: In my early years of life, I remember community-wide tent revivals; street corner evangelism; home visitation by pastors; hospital visits by pastors and church leaders, etc. As we consider what the future might look like for the church of Jesus Christ (His bride), we may add to the list I just mentioned, that we remember when folk got up, picked up family and friends they invited to attend church with them, went on to church and worshipped God in the company of other believers. Isn’t it strange how times change? I believe it is highly debatable if things have changed for the better, but we can certainly see where many things that have worked well in the past, have been phased out by the modern church. In 1987 I continued my banking career in a small town in central Florida. I was told about the good old days when the bank closed on Wednesday afternoons to allow staff time to be ready for church that evening. Furthermore, they recalled when city officials would call the churches to see if anything was planned for a given date before they would add a city-wide event to the calendar. As years went by, I remember churches having to check with the city calendar before planning a church community-wide event. Before Covid, I remember Sunday School teachers complaining about the number of parents who weren’t able to attend their class because of planned sports competitions for their kids on Sunday. Friends, this is not just a reflection on our times, but I hope that this might cause you to consider whether our town has become one that Jesus’ apostles would have shaken the dust from their feet and moved on from. Today we have young men and women who attend seminary to best prepare them for ministry in their local churches. Are they graduating to continue the work for which Jesus first called His apostles? Would they survive the orders of Jesus to leave everything at home, especially their electronic devices, so they could depend on God as they go and minister in His name to a nation of people who really need the Lord? An old, retired missionary shared the story of his call into ministry. Before going to the mission field, he sold his home and gave the proceeds to the local church, for he was convinced that the same God who called Him, would care for him while doing the Master’s work for which he was called. Did he have faith in his calling? Oh my, if any of us would dare to be that bold, perhaps the presence of God will overwhelm us and strengthen our faith to a degree that we would depend on God for everything in our time of ministry. But notice in the Scripture today that there was emphasis also placed on church members, for Jesus was sure that they would welcome His ministers into their homes and provide everything personally needed while in that town. I remember my parents and other senior members of my childhood church preparing for visiting preachers and putting them up, if needed. Today I’m afraid that it’s way too easy to place a visiting preacher into a hotel and let them fend for themselves. What has changed? Do we compartmentalize the space where we will permit Jesus also? Do you suppose that the world really sees any difference in God’s people anymore? Do we truly stand firm on the Word of God and earn the respect of our City Council; our State officials; our senators and our President? Do you suppose that Jesus is proud to present us to our unsaved world and His children, who represent Him perfectly? It’s not too late for us to ask for God’s guidance, strength and boldness in doing this!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In humility, boldness and with a willing heart, follow the commands of Jesus and be confident in knowing that God will provide for our every need.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, just as You ordered Your apostles to step out in faith knowing that You will supply their every need, through the waits that would accommodate them, I believe that You are still encouraging us today to also take a step of faith. People need the Lord, and many of them will never know about Your love unless we tell them and show them. Use us as Your instruments Lord, so that our people may know about You and believe. 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!

In Desperation, We All Need Jesus

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2021-08-12
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 8:41-42
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 41–42 Just then, a man named Jairus, the leader of the local Jewish congregation, fell before Jesus’ feet. He desperately begged him to come and heal his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, because she was at the point of death.

APPLICATION: We are way more judgmental than God ever intended us to be! We believe we know what a person is thinking, and we seem to have the answers on why they would refuse to listen to us! So for those gathered around Jesus, what do you suppose they must have thought when Jairus showed up, and when he knelt before the Master? Shocked? Afraid that Jairus was up to no good? Perhaps they stood ready to protect Jesus, if Jairus tried any funny stuff? But for just a moment today, stop and think about what brings people to Jesus. Although this man was a Jew and even stood in leadership with the Jewish people, yet in his time of desperate need he went to Jesus. That tells me that regardless of how strongly he spoke about Jesus not being the Messiah, as his fellow Jews believe, yet Jairus knew deep inside that Jesus was the Son of God and could therefore heal all man’s diseases. Isn’t it interesting how Jesus never questioned Jairus about why he would now seek Him out? I believe this is one more story that shows the love and concern of Jesus for His children, no matter how confused they are about who the world thinks Jesus truly is. I’m afraid that we have tried to become so ‘politically correct’ that we try to accept the misguided beliefs of another person, even when we know without a doubt what the Word of God says. Don’t your friends deserve to hear the truth, and then they could decide if the world is right, or if they could trust ‘thus says the Word of God’? Pray for me, while I lift each of you up in prayer, that we will love our family and friends enough to share the truth with them while laying aside any assumption we have about what they would accept from us. I heard a story last Sunday that reminds me of why Jairus may have sought out Jesus. You see, if Jesus is trying to get us from a place in our lives, that we will call Point ‘A’, to a better place in life, that we will call Point ‘B’; He knows that we will not willingly collect our things and move to Point ‘B’ if everything is going just fine at Point ‘A’. Often He will start placing obstacles in our path around Point ‘A’ and opportunities around His path at Point ‘B’, so that our minds will be redirected. Do you suppose that Jesus knew what it would take to win the heart of Jairus? Being a leader of the Jews, do you suppose that in Jairus becoming a changed man, other Jews might also be drawn to Jesus? Seek the Lord while He may be found dear friends. He will give you the desires of your heart, plus a whole lot more. Perhaps your friends are watching what you will do with Jesus, before they decide. Let me encourage you to turn your eyes upon Jesus today. Don’t wait for a disaster to help you make up your mind. Read my Footnote, especially the Scriptures noted in the link ‘To Know Jesus’. Know Him today, and know real peace!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus listened to the cry of Jairus and followed through in healing his daughter, regardless of what Jairus taught in the Jewish temple. No one is beyond the love of Jesus, if they call on Him!

PRAYER: Lord, I believe that You saw desperation in the heart of Jairus as He approached You on behalf of his daughter. You saw His need and You met His need. Many of us meditating on this devotional are burdened with needs. Oh that we will be impressed to seek You out as being the only One who could meet our needs. Covid is rampant all around us, and many of our family and/or friends are bedridden with this dreaded disease. May our hearts be so burdened, that we will remember who is able to heal and restore health and strength back to our loved ones. Please forgive us for judging others. In Your example in today’s Scripture, You simply met Jairus at his point of need – no questions asked and no level of judgment noted. Teach us Lord to be more like You in every way, every day, so that others will know of You, and believe in 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!

Share What Jesus Has Done For You

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Healing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Share, Share God’s Word, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, 2021-08-11
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 8:38-39
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 38 But the man who had been set free begged Jesus over and over not to leave, saying, “Let me be with you!”
Jesus sent him away with these instructions: 39 “Return to your home and your family, and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” 
So the man went back and preached to everyone who would listen about the amazing miracle Jesus had worked in his life.

APPLICATION: This is a very similar lesson to the one we encountered in yesterday’s devotional, so perhaps God is really working at our hesitancy to share about His goodness. Unfortunately, we each know of friends, and perhaps family as well, that did not make it through the challenges of COVID. But we all know of folk that did well, and survived this dreaded disease. We are thankful for the latter, and I’m sure those who overcame are also very thankful and probably share the highlights of their healing with family and friends. Now imagine for a moment that you were in the shoes of the demon possessed man. He was fortunate enough, and blessed to have met Jesus and enjoy His comfort and His healing. In fact, there was such a turn around for this man that he asked to remain in the presence of Jesus. No doubt he felt like there were enough other maladies in his life that hanging with Jesus for a longer period might restore perfection in his life once again. But notice that true to a previous statement by Jesus, where He said that He didn’t come to hang with those who are well, but instead with the sick and oppressed, so Jesus told the man that he must instead go and tell his family what Jesus had done for him. So think with me about the life of this man before he was touched by Jesus. He had no control over his life and his movements because of the demons that controlled him, so no one wanted to come anywhere close to him. Then this man found Jesus and received a healing touch from Him. Can you imagine the difference that must have occurred in this man? I’m sure that people must have looked at him and, seeing such a turnaround in his body and the control he now had over his movements, they must have immediately determined that he must have been in the presence of Jesus, the Healer and all-powerful Son of God. Friends, we are embarrassed to tell others of our many aches and pains because we don’t want them to feel sorry for us, but aren’t we ready to shout it from the mountain tops when our bodies are healed and our minds are at peace in knowing that we’ve been in the presence of Jesus? The demonic man expanded his outreach and wound up telling the whole town, not just his family, about all that Jesus had done for him. While this sounds very logical, isn’t it interesting the word used by the Passion Translation – he ‘PREACHED’ to everyone? You know, we all hide from this term because we don’t feel like we are well versed in the Bible, but we all can share about our experience with Jesus. Let me encourage you dear reader or listener, just tell them what Jesus has done for you – ‘preach’ this good news to them. Jesus will do the rest in drawing them to the foot of the cross to meet this Jesus who healed us, touched us, saved us, cared for us and returned us to society in best form.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just share what Jesus has done for you! Share the good news with all you come into contact with. ‘Preach’ to them!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, what have we done to deserve God’s own Son? Who are we that He should live and die for us? Just as You healed the demonic man, You have also healed many of us reading Your Word today, and we are most appreciative for You loving us so much. Lord, we just can’t keep this inside, we must share the mercies of the Lord with others or we will burst. Please give us boldness to share the joy that fills us, and brag on Your goodness with all those we come into contact with. Just as You commanded the healed demonic to go and share what You did for him, I believe You are saying the same to Your children again today, so that the unsaved world will hear about Jesus and know Him personally. May Your kingdom come, even through our personal encounters with 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!

Evangelism Under Pressure

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

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, 2021-08-10
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: MARK 13:9-11
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 9 “Be on your guard! For they will hand you over to the ruling councils, and you will be beaten in public gatherings. And you will stand trial before kings and high-ranking governmental leaders as an opportunity to testify to them on my behalf. 10 But prior to the end of the age, the hope of the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
11 “So when they put you under arrest and hand you over for trial, don’t even give one thought about what you will say. Simply speak what the Holy Spirit gives you at that very moment. And realize that it won’t be you speaking but the Holy Spirit speaking through you.

APPLICATION: I believe there are real fears, even in the hearts of Christians to share their faith. Perhaps fear of rejection; perhaps afraid that you won’t be able to answer all the questions asked of you in response to your attempt to evangelize; Or perhaps afraid that your target audience will poke fun of your beliefs? There are many reasons why Christians just don’t talk about their Savior. Jesus invited some men to join Him in ministry. They received on-the-job training, as they followed Jesus through the many walks of life where He traveled and with whom He ministered to while here on earth. Jesus knew what His destiny would be, and He knew how He would suffer before leaving this earth, so He wanted to prepare those who would continue His ministry. Please don’t quit reading or listening, because you might assume that this devotional just jumped tracks and is now targeting pastors, missionaries and Christian workers. Let me encourage you to remember that Jesus instructed His children to go into all the world and share His gospel truth, so that could include you dear one. You see, Jesus knew that just as He was arrested, beaten, mocked and crucified, His look-a’likes will also be picked on by those who want to go on living in sin without hearing about the One who spoke boldly about sin, and who died to provide forgiveness of sin/redemption as they finish up life here on earth. I love the way that Jesus encouraged us to not fear or worry of being arrested for our faith, for we will be given a new audience to share our faith with. And oh, don’t worry about what you would say under these extenuating circumstances, for the Holy Spirit who has taken up residence inside of you, will speak freely through you with just the right words for your courtroom audience. Remember I said earlier that many Christians fear having the right words to share? Isn’t that interesting how Jesus thought to calm our fears in that area? Praise the Lord! So friends, I wish that you will join me in being reassured of the One who sacrificed everything for us, the One who encouraged confidence in promoting confidence to share His name in any circumstance of life? He deserves our praise, and our willingness to tell the world who our great God is. Let’s go for it with all that we have in us!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: No worries, use any arrests or courtroom appearances as opportunities to evangelize – promote the gospel of Jesus Christ!

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for directing me to Your Word at just the right time and place to be encouraged and confident in sharing my faith with all that I come into contact with today. Hopefully this will not include a courtroom setting, but this has given me confidence to share Christ with any and all audiences, for the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me will speak through me, to promote my Savior! My readers/listeners and I stand in awe, and we thank You Lord Jesus for seeing our weakest points and encouraging us to overcome, through Your power and Your strength. Oh that others will see, hear, and witness the love and truth of Jesus today through each of His disciples (each Christian)! 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!

Guidance on Giving

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

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-08-08
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Deuteronomy 26:10-12
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 10 And now I’ve brought the very first produce from the ground that You, the Eternal, have given to me.” Then present the basket to the Eternal your God, and bow down before Him, 11 and celebrate all the good things He has given to you and your household. Be sure to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town to the feast.
12 When you’ve gathered a tenth of your produce at the end of the third year, the year for local tithing, give it to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who live in your town. Let them come and take as much as they want to eat for as long as these supplies last. 

APPLICATION: I have read many Scriptures in my day, but this particular chapter had a deep impression on my mind. Moses shared God’s commands with the Israelites as they were about to set out on living in freedom. In the first part of the chapter, the farmers are told to give their first fruits to God. They are to gather them in a basket then take them to the temple. Moses gave them guidance on a prayer they are to say before God; followed by a meal with their family and temple leaders while at the temple; culminating with a time of praise and thanksgiving before the Master. Perhaps farmers do this today and I am just unaware of their private actions, but I believe this would be a far reaching testimony to the church leadership, to farm laborers, and to the family members who join in. In fact, I believe that when God sees that He comes before the bank loan, before the utility companies and before equipment leasing companies, then He will know without a doubt where our heart is. I believe that each of us are well aware of the increasing number of widows, orphans, and church workers who receive little or no income who live in our communities, and we wish we could help them all. But notice in verse 12 that every 3rd year, the first fruits are to be made available to these individuals. Today churches are hesitant to help those in need because they have been ‘burned’ so often through abuse, but wouldn’t it be awesome if others were doing their part, like our local farmers? Now imagine for a moment how a widow would be blessed to hear about a farmer who has fruit that he’s giving away. They arrive at his place of business and just stammer in awe as they try to determine why he is GIVING freely to them. Imagine how they will tell the world how awesome that man of God is! Imagine how his business will flourish because of his obedience to God! Friends, I believe that Satan places so many excuses in our minds that we tend to assume we know better than to follow God at His word. Notice that there were no conditions for the farmer to use in who benefits on that third year, other than their class. We tend to place conditions on who we will tithe to, when our income has reach a level to which we could start tithing, when we will stop tithing, etc, etc. Friends, if not for the grace of God, would we even have an income? Since He blessed us first, shouldn’t we go on blessing Him? God said that we are to give of our first fruits, may I suggest that in obedience to God, that we give freely from our income before doing anything with the remaining 90%. Remember, you can’t out-give God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Give, and it shall be given to you!

PRAYER: Lord, I’m sure the excuses that we give, must make You sick. To hear a child say ‘Not my hard-earned money’, must really confirm that your blessings have been unappreciated and received vainly. Lord, please remind us each day how You’ve blessed us so that that our hearts may always be filled with praise to our Maker. It’s You oh Lord who have blessed, and who has given everything for our benefit. May we give freely as You have given to us, and may our hearts be filled with praise continually. May our giving be so representative of You that others will see the heart of God as we give, and may they be drawn to 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!

The Makeup of Our Churches

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

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-08-07
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 8:5-8
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 5 “A farmer went out to sow seed. While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell beside the road. People walked on the seed, and the birds ate it all. 6 Other seed fell on rock. It began to grow but then died because it had no water. 7 Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. This seed grew, but later the weeds stopped the plants from growing. 8 The rest of the seed fell on good ground. This seed grew and made 100 times more grain.”….

APPLICATION: Ever notice how much easier you remember the pastor’s illustrations than you do with the simple reading of God’s Word? I remember a pastor who once started up a gas chain saw on the stage at our church and proceeded to cut a perfectly good chair in half. On another occasion the same pastor came through the back door with bags of garbage, and he dropped a bag sporadically along his path to the pulpit. On yet another occasion he hit an anvil that he had placed on the stage, and the sound echoed in my wife’s ear so badly that it made a lasting impression on her, and each of us, to this present day! These examples came to mind as I meditated on the reason Jesus gave for preaching in parables. He knew that His hearers would very easily understand His analogy and could apply the examples to their own lives. On occasion, the disciples would ask Jesus to clarify – to make sure they knew where He was coming from and the point He was trying to make sure that they understood and applied to their lives. I was intrigued by this particular parable, because Jesus explained Himself in good detail further down in the chapter, beginning in verse 14. To apply this to today’s church, I believe we should examine our hearts, and determine what it is that we look to in deciding which church to attend. We place a lot of emphasis on the music, and on the charisma of the pastor, but Jesus is teaching us today that these things matter very little when our own heart are not where it should be, or if we are ready to hear from the Lord. I have experienced repeatedly where someone may share how boring the service was and how little they received from the service that day. Then, in listening to a time of Christian testimonies, I hear how blessed people were in that same service and how tenderly God spoke to their heart from His Word. Jesus said that His Word will not return void. Think about this, pastors and teachers labor over God’s Word every week and they seek His face for what He would have them share with us. Yet many of us leave home without our tools (our Bible), and we head out to church, as if going to a concert, (no prayer in seeking out God’s answers to your life’s dilemmas, or praying for the wisdom for the messenger). So with that in mind, how do you suppose the Word will be received by you that day, perhaps like a seed that fell on rocky ground? Furthermore, some will head out to church with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and their minds will be so distracted with their worries, that their presence at church will in no way reflect how much they will receive from the Word of God. Much like seed falling among thorns, where the Word is simply overshadowed by everything else that is going on. Friends, let’s be reminded that the charisma of a pastor will show us how good they are at getting our attention. The spoken Word of God will show us how good God is, and how well He has taken on the weight of this world so that we might know how much He loves us, cares for us, and provides for us here on earth and in the heights of heaven when we leave this world. Let me suggest that when we check to see if we have everything when we head out the door for church, let’s make sure that we carefully check our heart and see that we are ready to receive instruction and blessing from our Master, God Almighty!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: With our minds fixed on Jesus, we are usually ready to hear from Him. Let us therefore set aside all stresses, doubt and fear and just listen to the Word with minds and hearts that are ready to obey!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please forgive us for the times that we come to Your house and our minds are anywhere but there in Your presence. I believe that when we do that, we reject the very presence of the One who: loves us unconditionally; and is out to provide the very best for us, Your children. Our hearts need refreshment from You and our minds need refocusing on You, instead instead of our situations and problems. But Lord, we need Your strength to overcome. Please give us Your power and Your wisdom to see Your perfect will for us. Lord this old world is filled with evil and needs You more today than ever before. Please help us to be Your light on a hill for the world to see hope, love and refreshment. Let them see Jesus in us, so that they may be drawn to You. Lord, may Your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN!

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